Witty Arundhuti
The world has been celebrating World Environment Day each year on the 5th of June since 1974. The date symbolizes as a reminder about the rising population, pollution of all sorts, deforestation and a bunch of other detrimental environment issues that the Planet has to deal with. People around the world recognize and celebrate this day in their own ways. In Spain, EcoTrail Marathon is conducted with an aim to finance various projects which are concerned with the betterment of the environment; the international fashion industry is also switching to sustainable fashion gradually and saplings are planted in schools and offices. But have we been doing it right? The aim is to nurture and help the planet thrive, but are we really doing so? Should the World Environment Day being celebrated for only a single day of the year and then we get back to our ‘not-so-sustainable lifestyle’?
Let’s talk about the pristine Islands of Andaman and Nicobar. It ranks as one of the most sought after tourism destination not only for Indians but also for global tourists. Known for its azure clear water, ivory beaches, and breath-taking beauty, Andaman is definitely on every travel freak’s go-to list.
However, let us break it to you. This cluster of islands isn’t as happy as it looks. Commercialization and tourism are negatively impacting the ecosystem of Andaman. Shocked? Well, even though tourism leads to a huge influx of income, however, the grass is always greener on the other side. There’s a dark side to it as well. The islands are screaming for help.
The gigantic number of tourists is actually a threat to its ecosystem. Most of the time, tourists aren’t as conscious as they should be, one of the problems being, tourists littering. Plastic bottle littering, especially, is a common sight. As a repercussion of the vehement tourism, a number of flora and fauna species is turning into endangered species and also some have become extinct too!
The mangrove stretch and ever-green tropical rain forests of Andaman has already started to degrade and diminish. According to research, water sports have contributed to the disturbance in the coral ecosystem and soil erosion. These damages are beyond repair and irreversible.
It is people like Garima Poonia, a 26-year-old UK University drop-out, who are changing the world and making it a better place to live in. Garima was taken aback when she went on a vacation with her family to the majestic islands of Andaman. What she witnessed in Andaman moved her. A trash-laden beach. That’s when she realized that she would dedicate time and efforts to make a change. In December 2018, she along with 33 equally passionate children extracted 100 Kilograms of trash from the islands!
More organizations in Andaman have come forward in saving the ecology of the islands. Andaman Avians Club has recently completed the plastic cleaning drive of the roadside area of the Chidyatapu Reserve Forest. It took them 4 days for the total coverage of the area and they extend their sincere thanks to every prominent people and all their club volunteers for their participation and support. Ghummo Andaman, one of the leading travel agency in Andaman was also part of this cleanliness drive. Being one of the most famous beaches in Port Blair, this stretch of Forest Reserved Area is used by 1000’s of tourists and local residents every day.
While talking to Wittyduck Mr. Arun Singh from Ghummo Andaman said “During the complete cleaning process, it was quite disturbing to find some mega dumping site inside the reserve forest of the commercial and industrial wastes. Total collection of wastes are 42 Bags of Plastics bottles and 13 Bags of Wrappers and Plastic Bags. “
However, this isn’t enough. The world needs more people who are aware of the needs of the planet, who are more conscious about the environment. We, as a society, need to unite and extend help to the environment. Realizing our responsibilities towards a cleaner and a healthier environment has to become a daily “go-to” in every citizen’s daily routine.
Citizens can make small changes in everyday life and pave a way to a brighter future for the environment’s future. For instance, using reusable shopping bags while shopping and ditching the plastic carry bags; using aluminum water bottles instead of lethal plastic bottles. These little yet significant moves can make a huge difference!
This World Environment Day let us join hands ensure a sustainable future for the upcoming generation and transcend towards the brightest future of the Planet.
