International Mangrove Day: 200+ Volunteers Clean Navi Mumbai Mangroves, Remove 1.5 Tonnes Of Trash

Mumbai: More than 200 volunteers removed around 1.5 tonnes of waste from the mangroves at Karave Jetty in Navi Mumbai on Saturday to mark the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.

The Week 310 Mangrove Cleanup Drive was organised by Environment Life Foundation in collaboration with WWF-India (Mangrove Mitra), in association with the Rotary Clubs of Navi Mumbai, and with support from the Mangrove Foundation and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC).

Volunteers aged between seven and 65 years from Navi Mumbai, Mumbai, Raigad and Thane participated in the drive. They cleared plastic packaging, medical waste, cosmetics, footwear, school bags, thermocol and other debris trapped within the mangrove root systems after being washed in through drains and rivers.

The programme began with an awareness session highlighting the role of mangroves in protecting coastlines from erosion and mitigating the impact of climate change. Organisers also stressed the need for greater public responsibility in preventing littering.

Dharmesh Barai, founder of Environment Life Foundation, said the waste collected represented only a small fraction of the garbage accumulating along the coastline. "Cleanup drives shouldn't even have to exist—they are a symptom of public failure. If citizens simply stop littering, our natural ecosystems will heal and work for us 24/7 without cost. Stop relying on municipal workers to clean up personal irresponsibility. A basic habit change is all it takes to save our youth's energy, time and environment," he said.

Kedarnath Ghorpade of the Rotary Clubs of Navi Mumbai said protecting mangroves required collective responsibility. "We, the humans, collectively own the responsibility to manage the waste we generate to save nature, including mangroves," he said.

The drive concluded with participants taking a pledge against open littering, promoting waste segregation and encouraging greater civic accountability. Organisers thanked the volunteers, Rotarians, students, citizens and Mangrove Mitra members for their contribution to conserving coastal ecosystems.

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