Plastic Litter Pollution on the Beaches of Lakshadweep Island: An Assessment of their Abundance and Transport

Plastic pollution is considered a severe anthropogenic threat in coastal and marine ecosystems worldwide. Plastic pollutants are being accumulated in aquatic ecosystems as a result of anthropogenic activities. In both direct and indirect pathways, this alters the structure and functionality of ecosystems, as well as their values and services. The present study focuses on the abundance, distribution, and transport of plastic litter on Lakshadweep Island's beaches (Agatti, Bangaram, and Kadmat). At each sampling site, two transects of 400 m2 of foreshore and intertidal zone were sampled. All macro litter (size > 2.5 cm to 1 m) was collected and counted within each transect. A total of 852 litter items were recorded from 20 different categories. Kadmat Island has the highest average abundance (267 items/400 m2) of marine litter, followed by Bangaram Island (86 items/400 m2) and Agatti Island (73 items/400 m2). According to the Clean Coast Index (CCI), Kadmat Island indicates an extremely dirty beach (CCI: 26.7), while Bangaram (CCI: 8.6) and Agatti (CCI: 7.3) have moderately clean beaches. The transport pattern of floating particles for this region was carried out by using numerical modeling of particle tracking. The findings show that the principal sources of beach litter are most likely to be tourists and fishing-related activities. This study demonstrates plastic contamination in the island's environment to raise public awareness of the importance of a plastic-free, healthy blue ocean shortly.