SAVING LAKE FROM PLASTIC

                                      

                                                 SAVING LAKE FROM PLASTIC


   A Group of students joining hands on Independence day(15th  August,2011) to remove whatever plastic they could from the Punnamada Lake and by evening,they had a few boat loads full of waste. Spectators had dumbed in the water during the day long race.
  the cleaning drive, which was inaugurated by district panchayat president Prathiba Hari, had students from the Jalapadam wetland clubs of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Environment amd Ecology (ATREE) and from the Government High School, Kuppapuram, St. Michaels's School, Thathampally and St. Thomas College,Alappuzha, A kudumbasree team led by district Tourism promotion council officials too helped them in the arduous task.
 The heaps of plastic bottles were handed over to rag- ickers who would take them  for recycling, according to ATREE co-ordinator Latha Bhaskar. Appreciating the spirit of all those who came forward to clean up the lake. Ms Bhaskar said there was a need to keep the lake clean on a continous basis for which houseboat operators too should be appropriately trained.. During recent public interactions of the ATREE in several panchat's in the region, clam collections were complaing about house boats dumping waste in the lake.
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                                                                                             Prof. John Kurakar