Navi Mumbai: Greens launch 'OurCityOurDuty' campaign to save mangroves from tonnes of garbage

NAVI MUMBAI: The green group NatConnect Foundation has launched 'OurCityOurDuty' campaign to clean the coastal mangroves of the tonnes of garbage discarded there. The activists are risking injuries from broken glass bottles and rusted old syringes found inside the mangroves during the clean up drive.
Already, a dozen NGOs are committed to cleaning up the mangroves in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) more and more muck is being drained into the sea, choking the vital plants that save the coast.
Those who conduct these clean-up operations are just a few, but those who throw the non-biodegradable garbage are in the thousands, said the director of NatConnect, B N Kumar.

Official apathy, coupled with citizen irresponsibility, are leading to the tonnes of muck flowing into the creek and choking the mangroves in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai coasts, often leading to frustration among the selfless workers.
From chappals to mattresses, from liquor bottles to medical waste – the list of garbage that the mangrove sena picks up is ever unending, said NatConnect Foundation which has embarked on a campaign to educate the civic officials, citizens, government and the CSR arms of various corporates.
Navi Mumbai-based Dharmesh Barai, who has just completed the 106th edition of the clean-up drive by his Mangrove Soldiers, said they collected a large number of liquor bottles and medical waste such as test kits and even syringes on Sunday.
"Let people celebrate and enjoy wherever they want, but they should do so with a sense of responsibility," Barai said. The happiness that the booze parties bring should not lead to natural calamity such as floods, he said.
The government must step in to take stern action against revellers who have their parties in the open on the seashores and leave the muck in the sea, said B N Kumar who has been monitoring the cleanup drives.
Mangroves are not only as the frontline soldiers protecting the coasts from tidal attacks and storms, they also are the inexpensive rain forests as they grow on their own. Apart from serving as breeding ground for a variety of fish and crabs, mangroves act as carbon sinks and their entangled roots work as meshes to prevent muck from flowing into the sea, NatConnect pointed out to the government.
"It looks as though the reckless people are throwing the filth in the sea because they are aware there are some people who would clean it," Kumar said, remarking that the general attitude is disgusting to say the least. Mangrove soldiers collected some 800 kg of liquor bottles this Sunday alone.
The cleanup teams have also removed hundreds of school bags from the mangrove forests, Kumar pointed out and asked, "Is this what we are teaching our children, to throw discarded bags into the sea or drains?"
Thus, the garbage that is collected at the 12 odd points could be as much as 10 to 12 tonnes a week or close to 50 tonnes a month.
"Apart from the garbage dumps on the coasts, the open nalas are also to blame for the garbage killing our mangroves," lamented Nandakumar Pawar of Vanashakti which has been conducting the clean-up operation every alternative Sunday for the past 14 years at Bhandup pumping station and other places.
Pointing out that Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has placed metal grills and meshes ahead of the drainage outlets into the creek, Kumar said this seems to be working. But the irresponsible booze parties take place in other places.
NatConnect, in its mail to the Chief Minister who also holds the Urban Development department, called for stopping this destruction by erecting meshes at all drains and even open nalas. “This is a one time investment that will fetch rich dividends in terms of healthy mangroves,” Kumar said.
Also, the government must take deterrent steps to prevent people from throwing any garbage into the creeks and drains with hefty punishments and even imprisonment for repeat offenders, NatConnect said.
Just imagine the plight of the selfless mangrove soldiers who venture into the thick grass, through the slush to pick up the muck and get hurt due to glass pieces and syringes, said Barai. “Our boys and girls do take precautions such as TT injections, but the cuts do hurt us,” he said. Undeterred, we shall continue our work, said Barai who has been felicitated by the Ministry of Jal Shakti with the Water Heros award during the Swachh Bharat drive awards.
CSR fund-flush corporates too contribute their mite but it will make better sense if the civic bodies consolidate the funds and plan long-term measures such as grill traps and meshes in the drains, Kumar said.
Pawar and Barai concurred that the mangrove clean-up drive should not end up with mere selfie opportunities, but result in educating all stakeholders – the government, the civic bodies and the people in general.
They appreciated the civic bodies for their cooperation in clearing the muck from the cleanup sites. "But, we need to do more to educate the society at large on the importance of keeping our coasts and mangroves clean," Pawar said and observed that the Swachh Bharat campaign should not end up with merely sweeping the streets.
NatConnect on its part called for a Public-Private-Participation (PPP) project to be initiated by the government to protect the mangroves from getting choked.