Clean-up drives

It has been more than five years that I am participating in beach clean-up drives on  the Mumbai coast. Majority  of the time I have coordinated it. Clean-up drives are used as strong tool for sensitizing citizens specially students regarding the huge quantity of waste that is generated in cities like Mumbai. We need to understand that If we are generating waste then it is our duty to discard it properly. When it comes to our home, we simply put it in a dustbin and hand it over to municipal authorities..... the waste is out of our house... the problem at the house level is solved. but.... when it comes to the earth,,,, there is nothing called as "outside" ... basically all the garbage that it created at residence, offices, schools, factories etc. remains on earth only. In my city there are two major festivals in which Idols of Plaster of Paris (POP) are created worshiped for certain days and then immersed in our very own sea 'The Arabian sea'. Traditionally these idols are supposed to be made from soil. So that, when one immerses the idol it disintegrates on its own and almost no harm is caused the water ecosystem. But, this age is a age of rapidness and competition ,,, and this competition and rapidness has entered in celebrations of festivals as well. Hundreds/thousands of idols are made every year. Since 'soil' one's are difficult to make and one can not prepare huge idol from it hence the option of POP is always selected. It takes very less time to prepare as compare the soil. Hardly any one bothers about hazards of POP. It affects the water ,, it affects the life in it. It stays in water for long time ,, a very very long time... Not only idols but in general all the waste is ultimately dumped in the sea. We have also came across the medical waste (syringe, bloodbags etc.) while conducting such cleanups. Since schools and college students volunteer for such cleanup drives , I am very much hope full for better future of our sea life and ultimately our lives as well.

It is my humble request to all those who conduct clean-up drives that use it as a tool for creating awareness. Our aim is not just to clean the place but to create such a future where there will be no need for such cleanup drives.