300 kg of plastic waste removed in Maruthamalai
People from all walks of life came together on Saturday to remove more than 300kg of plastic waste dumped by devotees near the Marudhamalai Subramania Swamy Temple.
As many as 50 people, including students of the Sri Krishna College and Rotaract Club of CUG, took part in the initiative, organized by NGO Kovai Kulangal Padhugappu Amaippu on the occasion of the International Mountain Day.
The volunteers, carrying gunny bags, gathered in the foothills around 10.30 am and started collecting trash left behind by visitors. Most of the waste was found near the parapet of the steps leading to the temple.
They collected disposable plastic cups, carry bags and food containers. The collected waste was handed over to the local body for scientific disposal.
R Manikandan, the coordinator of Kovai Kulangal Padhugappu Amaippu, said that visitors, temple administration and the district administration are equally responsible for the accumulation of banned plastic in public places.
“The temple surroundings are ecologically-sensitive zones as a large number of wild animals visit the place frequently. Stringent restrictions should be in place to prevent plastic waste from being dumped there.
The district administration should enforce the ban against single-use plastic. The temple administration should place sufficient bins and ensure that devotees use them. Elephants, monkeys and wild boars that visit the area may eat plastic that block their digestive system,” he said.
“Temple authorities said that bins are damaged by wild boars. We are planning to install some bins that cannot be accessed by wild boars,” Manikandan added.
There is a need to make very simple changes in our daily lives. It starts with us. It’s our responsibility to keep the tourist places clean like our home.
Meena
Read, The history of Manikoondu(tower clock) in Coimbatore on ycourcoimbatore.com
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