The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, has launched the pilot phase of the NIRMaL Sāgar programme in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, to tackle marine litter and plastic pollution. Launched on September 19, 2026, the initiative aims to identify areas where waste accumulates in the sea and improve efforts to keep India’s coastal waters clean. The programme combines artificial intelligence (AI), satellite-based monitoring and ocean modelling to track the movement of marine waste and predict where it is likely to gather. Researchers will study the sources of plastic pollution along the Visakhapatnam coast, how waste enters the sea and how ocean currents carry it to different locations. The findings will help authorities plan targeted clean-up operations, prevent waste from reaching the ocean and explore ways to remove and recycle collected plastic. Developed in collaboration with Andhra University and Vignana Bharati (VIBHA), the initiative aims to establish an integrated system for monitoring marine litter and supporting long-term ocean conservation. By using technology to identify pollution hotspots before waste builds up further, NIRMaL Sāgar seeks to make marine waste management more scientific, effective and sustainable.