Over 1,000 people participated in the coastal clean-up event ‘Team up to clean up My city, My coast, My environment’ organised by G Square Group along with The Hindu at 10 hotspots on East Coast Road on Sunday.
The event started at 7 a.m. and went on for two hours. The volunteers, called ‘Green Warriors of Chennai,’ collected plastic, footwear, thermocol waste, glass pieces and some discarded college certificates too. In total, they cleared about 5.6 tonnes of waste during the clean up.
N. Eshwar, Chief Executive Officer of G Square Realtors Private Limited said, “With a long coastline, Chennai boasts some of the most vibrant beaches that are perfect for fun time and beach experience. While it is the government’s obligation to keep these beaches clean, as citizens it is our responsibility to lend a hand towards the cause wherever we can.”
The clean-up was undertaken in various places, including Broken Bridge to Olcott Kuppam, Ashtalakshmi temple beach, Arupadai Murugan temple beach, 4th Seaward Road beach (Thiruvanmiyur), Palavakkam beach, Beach Road (Neelankarai), Injambakkam north beach (North of VGP), Injamabakkam south beach (South of VGP), Akkarai beach and Panaiyur beach.
Wildlife suffers
Arun Krishnamoorthy, founder of Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI), which was the knowledge partner of the event, said, “People should stop treating oceans as a dumping site. December to March is turtle nesting season. With garbage from rivers getting dumped in the oceans and people dumping waste on beaches, it is ultimately the marine life that suffers.”
He noted that protecting the beaches in Chennai was essential to bring back their ecological and economical value and it should be done by organising the clean-up activities regularly.
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