INCOIS targets marine pollution with high-tech monitoring push

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NCC cadets take part in a beach cleaning drive on World Ocean Day, at Kochi, on Monday. | Photo Credit: PTI

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) has launched ‘NIRMAL Sagar’, a clean-ocean initiative aimed at establishing the Indian Ocean Region’s first integrated marine litter-tracking system by combining ocean modelling, satellite remote sensing, and AI/ML-based tools.

The programme, launched as part of World Ocean Day 2026 celebrations on Monday, aims to identify marine litter hotspots, and monitor and forecast the movement of marine debris to support targeted clean-up and mitigation efforts. The occasion also marked the launch of the INCOIS Research Scholars Collective (IRSC), a student-led platform designed to foster collaboration, innovation and a stronger research community within the institute.

The initiative aims to strengthen interaction among research scholars, encourage interdisciplinary collaborations, promote academic and professional development, facilitate mentorship opportunities and enhance outreach activities that connect science with society through structured programmes and community engagement efforts.

Director of Centre for Excellence in Maritime Studies at the University of Mumbai, Varsha Kelkar, director of Global Ocean Monitoring and Observing Program, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, NOAA (USA) David Legler and INCOIS director T. M. Balakrishnan Nair were present, said a press release.