Assam: Youth to sail on boat made of 1600 discarded plastic bottles

DIBRUGARH: An enterprising youth from Dibrugarh, Dhiraj Bikash Gogoi, is all set for a voyage on the Brahmaputra from Dibrugarh to Majuli island on a specially crafted boat made from discarded plastic water bottles.
The innovative and unique "eco-boa", which Gogoi himself designed, is made of 1,600 plastic water bottles which he collected from the banks of the Brahmaputra discarded by picknickers and tourists. The 11-ft-long and 4-ft wide boat weighs 45-kg and can carry 6 persons easily. However Gogoi intends to sail with only two crew members in his maiden voyage. Although no date has been fixed for the voyage, Gogoi said that he will set sail as soon as the Covid restrictions are lifted in the state. "Plastic-free Brahmaputra" and "River Tourism" are going to be the theme of the adventurous river expedition.
"The aim of the voyage is to raise awareness on the dangers posed to the environment by plastic wastes. Most people have the habit of discarding drinking water plastic bottles and single-use plastic on rivers and beach which is choking up the ecosystem. I came up with the idea of making the boat from waste plastic bottle after seeing the Brahmaputra river bank littered by heaps of plastic bottles which are left behind by picknickers and other visitors. I collected close to 2,000 plastic bottles from the river bank out of which 1,600 bottles were used in constructing the boat. It took 45 days to complete the boat. We used bamboo poles to give shape to the boat while organic glues and ropes were used to bind the bottles together. We have already sailed around 10-12 kms on the Brahmaputra on the plastic boat to test its strength and endurance. It's doing absolutely fine. We are raring to go," Gogoi on Wednesday said.