College students, residents, NGOs clean mangroves land on Carter Road

Saakshi Teckchandani, founder of PPA India, said, “Around 40% of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of coasts. People face numerous challenges, such as sea level rise, intense storms, floods, etc., and around half of them are adversely affected by these natural disasters. But what can protect us from these disasters are Mangroves”

Mumbai: Residents, celebrities, college students, NGOs, and government officials on Saturday morning came together to protect and clean the only patch of mangrove land at Carter Road, Bandra West.

Bollywood Actor Jackie Shroff and Actress Tanishaa Mukerji spotted in an International Coastal Cleanup day at Carter Road. (Vijay Bate/HT Photo)

Organistaions like Swachh Vasundhara Abhiyan, ‘Planet for Plants and Animals’ (PPA), NSS students from various colleges, the Mangrove Cell of Mumbai, and the Rotary Club of Bandra gathered to clean 13 hectares of mangrove patch.

The event had more than 900 participants who cleared and collected 650 bags of garbage weighing more than 1.5 tonnes. Celebrities like Jackie Shroff and Tanishaa Mukerji also participated in the event.

Rahul N Kawde, founder, Swachh Vasundhara Abhiyan, said, “The waste, especially single-use plastic and fishing nets, gets stuck in the mangroves. These are not easily removed, and they need human intervention. A lot of this waste needs to be removed by hand. Hence, we collaborated with the college students and gathered for the clean up on World Coastal Day.”

Saakshi Teckchandani, founder of PPA India, said, “Around 40% of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of coasts. People face numerous challenges, such as sea level rise, intense storms, floods, etc., and around half of them are adversely affected by these natural disasters. But what can protect us from these disasters are Mangroves.”

“Therefore, we decided to clean up the coastal line and create awareness about the importance of preserving and protecting our mangroves,” she added.

During the drive, Teckchandani added that single-use plastics such as plastic bags are entangled in the mangroves and cause damage to the marine ecosystem. “Hence, these clean-up drives are necessary to make people understand, especially the youth, not to litter.”