Clear garbage at SGNP: Greens….Simit Bhagat
Mumbai: The Mahashivratri festival may be over,but the huge mounds of garbage and litter left behind in the forest have upset nature enthusiasts in the city.
Several places in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) are littered with nonbiodegradable waste such as plastic bags and glasses,thermocol plates and cups.Naturalists say that this obviously affects the forests ecosystem.
The garbage pile created by visitors during Mahashivratri is not only visually obnoxious,but also becomes a threat to the living creatures, said Anand Pendharkar,director of NGO SPROUTS.It also affects water sources of the area.This is a serious environmental issue of the citys green lungs.
The situation is almost the same at Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary,where more than one lakh visitors are believed to have visited on Mahashivratri,leaving behind huge mounds of waste.
The main culprits are the groups which erected pandals in the forest to distribute water and food for the visitors.If the waste is not cleared soon,it will get mixed with the water bodies and affect the wildlife as well, said Krishna Tiwari,project officer,city forests,Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
Also,the waste could easily lead to forest fire,which is already a major issue,during the summer months, he said.
Pendharkar said,If putting up of pandals was allowed by the forest department,the organisers should have ensured the garbage is properly disposed of and not strewn around.It seems they are misusing the permission given to them and such instances should not take place in future.
* NATURE NURTURE: Visitors have left behind mounds of garbage after Mahashivratri