Beyond its famed caves, Elephanta Island is choking with plastic. Join a conservation group’s first step towards saving the island’s mangroves
(From left) Elephanta Caves; plastic dumped on the island’s coastline. PICS COURTESY/ WIKIMEDIA, NANDAKUMAR PAWAR
If you see it firsthand at Elephanta, you’ll be stunned.” Environment activist Nandakumar Pawar is not talking about the iconic Sadashiva sculpture at the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Rather, a one-km stretch on the island that has been completely taken over by plastic. Pawar, senior project head at Sagarshakti, the marine conservation arm of Vanashakti, will join nearly 50 local fishermen in an ambitious clean up this weekend. They could use a helping hand from you.
The effort follows a long survey of the island conducted by Pawar and a team of fishermen last monsoon, which revealed immediate, key threats to the local flora and fauna.
While some plastic waste washes ashore from the sea, the biggest contributor is waste left back by tourists. “Such is the magnitude that even if you were to clean up the entire coast, 70 to 80 per cent of the waste would soon return. We’re clearly looking at an attitude problem, as much as a conservation problem,” Pawar sighs.
(From left) Herons, gulls, and sandpipers call the island home
Participants will first board a ferry from the Nhava Manik Jetty to reach Elephanta aka Gharapuri Island. A fishing boat will take the eco-warriors to the battlefield — the thick mangroves where plastic and thermocol waste is choking marine life. “We do not expect first timers to wade through the difficult terrain, but they can always lend a hand to the fishermen,” Pawar says.
If the efforts come to fruition, the many marine species like lobsters, crabs, tiger prawns, and birds like herons, flamingos, and gulls who call it home, will chirp a happy tune. “Historically, the island has seen few large-scale cleaning efforts because of the difficulty of access. I don’t think that should stop us from protecting a monument of natural heritage,” Pawar signs off.
Nandakumar Pawar (left) joins the efforts of a previous clean-up
Clean sweep
How the group aims to revamp the swamps
1 Carry out large scale clean-up drives regularly
2 Request the Mangrove Cell’s assistance in reforesting the lost mangroves
3 Create awareness among tourists about waste disposal
3000 to 4000
Estimated kgs of waste that will be collected during the clean-up
ON March 15; 8 am
MEETING POINT Nhava Manik Jetty, Nhava Sheva, Navi Mumbai.
CALL 7977670832 (for queries)
ENTRY Revealed on request
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