Paradip: Hundreds of volunteers, mostly women and children, from various walks of life joined hands on Monday to clean up nearly 1.5km stretch of the Paradip beach.

Volunteers besides tourists collected and segregated truckloads of garbage strewn across the beach.

The clean-up drive was conducted to spread awareness on keeping the beach and coastal environment free from pollution, said Paradip Ladies' Club president Subhalaxmi Roy.

The coastal cleanup drive aimed to infuse public opinion on checking pollution in the sea-side pockets. Piling up of garbage on the beaches vitiate the marine environment and ecosystem, said coast guard personnel. "The beach is bearing the brunt of pollution distracting tourists in specific beach spots such as Barunei Muhana and Banki Muhana," said local resident Rohit Mohanty.

Students also took part in the exercise. They learnt the importance of protecting the beach and sea coast. Involving students is a positive step in this direction, said Rabi Das, a volunteer.

Slum dwellers often dump waste on the beach, making it dirty. The campaigners also tried to educate them on keeping beaches clean, Das said.

During the clean-up drive, the volunteers undertook removal of debris from the shore and nearby water inlets, said Roy. "Because of the awareness drive, we have come to know that the beach has so many functions. It protects us from cyclones and tsunamis. It stops the salinity of the seawater from getting into the ground water inland. It promotes tourism. Promotion of tourism would augment the income of our villagers," said college student Sarojini Mohanty.