Navi Mumbai Mangroves Overrun By Plastic & Household Waste, Nearly 1 Tonne Cleared

Navi Mumbai: Nearly one tonne of garbage was removed from mangroves at Karave Jetty in Nerul during a weekly coastal cleanup drive, with volunteers finding large quantities of household waste, single-use plastic and FMCG packaging trapped among the mangroves.

Around 125 volunteers from across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including college students, participated in the Environment Life Foundation’s 318th consecutive weekly Mangrove Cleanup Drive on the occasion of International Coastal Cleanup Day and World Cleanup Day.

The waste collected during the drive comprised predominantly consumer packaging and plastic waste that had entered waterways through urban storm-water drains, open nullahs and sewage lines before reaching the coastal ecosystem.

Environmentalists said the accumulation of such waste in mangrove areas poses a threat to coastal and marine habitats, besides highlighting the problem of garbage entering water bodies from urban areas.

“Collecting litter is an essential secondary measure, but the absolute first step is preventing littering at the root level. Humans do not own the planet; we share equal duty and responsibility to protect all life on Earth,” said Dharmesh Barai, founder of the Environment Life Foundation.

The foundation has urged citizens to segregate household waste and ensure that garbage is disposed of in designated bins instead of being dumped in drains and water channels.

It has also called upon the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and the state government to install trash traps and interceptors in major urban drains and nullahs, particularly those passing through densely populated areas, to prevent waste from reaching coastal waters.

The drive was supported by the Mangrove Foundation and conducted in association with Earth Day Network and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation.

According to the foundation, its weekly cleanup movement has so far involved more than 1.3 lakh citizens and removed or diverted over 1,300 tonnes of marine debris from the coastlines of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Raigad.

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