Littered with garbage, plastic, and e-waste, the Kasimedu beach in Chennai had become an almost impossible place to visit. Many of Chennai’s residents would have wanted the beach to be a lovely retreat but sadly, years of dumping trash on the shore had made it a sore sight.
The fishermen on the beach would see its poor condition every day, but there was little they could do on their own. So, they decided to seek the help of the media to unite residents and the government to clean up the dumping of human waste. Last Saturday (28 April 2018) their efforts finally bore fruit when a team of no less than 500 policemen came to the beach to clean it up.
A police official told the Times of India that the move was a result of a plea from the fishermen seeking state support to help clean up the beach.
Chennai Police Commissioner #AKViswanathanIPS leading from the front in this cleanathon at the Kasimedu harbour. #SwachBharat @narendramodi @narendramodi_in @PMOIndia pic.twitter.com/z7F4A4v0IS
— Sanjay Pinto (@Sanjay_Pinto) April 28, 2018
The fishermen had enough time on their hands because of the on-going annual fishing ban, and they decided to utilise this time for the betterment of the Kesimedu beach.
Leading the police force towards the cleanup was AK Viswanathan, the City, police commissioner. The beach that was filled with trash, plastic and e-waste soon saw a workforce of hundreds of residents and fishermen join the cops in removing 150 tonnes of garbage in a matter of hours!
“We are very thankful to all the police personnel who marked their footprint in Kasimedu and made the initiative a success,” Viswanathan told TOI.
Over 30 fishermen associations volunteered to clean up the beach as also to motivate residents to join them.
Senthil, an officer in one of the fishermen associations who had joined the brigade, said, “This is the first time the sand on the beach is glittering like gold.”
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Our beaches, along with the other natural resources, are our responsibility to conserve. For years now, a casual and careless approach to the environment has brought us to this unfortunate situation. Active participation in undoing what we have done to nature will help us restore the balance yet again.
This inspirational initiative where the concerned citizens from different sections of the society came together for a common cause, will certainly be a catalyst for many more.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
Featured image for representational purposes. Source.
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