Chennai Trekking Club (CTC) organised a massive clean-up “Save Tada 2” at Tada waterfalls. CTC is a 7000+ member non-profit group of trekking enthusiasts. It organises various outdoor activities such as treks, biking, cycling, and environmental awareness campaigns. Save Tada 2 is among the series of campaigns conducted by CTC on social and environmental awareness.
Gearing up for clean-up
Around 250 volunteers, including 40 students from Sunshine Academy School, participated in this event. Volunteers assembled at various meeting points around 5:00 a.m. and started towards Tada, a two-hour drive north of Chennai. At 7:00 a.m., volunteers made a pit-stop for breakfast. Afterwards, volunteers were divided into 15 teams, each led by a team leader, assembled to receive instructions.
Each team was allocated a pre-defined zone to clean-up and provided with gloves and coloured garbage bags, sponsored by BioTek, to segregate degradable and non-degradable wastes. Throughout, we found plastic and alcohol bottles lying all round this once pristine jungle.
We collected about a tonne of garbage and assembled around 4:00 p.m. at the entrance for a press meet.
Peter Van Geit, founder of CTC, said, “I can see a transformation since the Save Tada 1 campaign. Tada has developed as an eco-tourism spot thanks to widening of roads and improvement in basic amenities. As more people visit the place, it leads to an increase in garbage. Making Tada a no-plastic and no-alcohol zone will go a long way in restoring its once pristine beauty”.
Transformation
Thilak, who was one of the team leaders, said, “Because of the presence of anti-social elements, families are hesitant to go deep and experience the real beauty of Tada. Alcohol should be completely banned inside and so should plastic. Also, sudden raids should be conducted once in a while to keep them in check.”
Mallikarjuna Rao, Andhra Pradesh's Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), thanked CTC for its excellent work. He assured us that our suggestions will be put into action soon.
Overall, it was an exhausting and exhilarating experience for me, personally. With so many options available to spend a Sunday, I was very happy that I took a road less travelled. Ramkumar Ravindran, a first-time CTC volunteer, said, “What we did is amazing! I have been to Tada a few times before, but have never enjoyed it the way I did today. I am really looking forward for more treks and environmental campaigns.” And CTC assures us that there will be more.
Website: www.chennaitrekkers.org
Mohammed Riazuddin is a B.E E.C.E graduate from St.Peter's Engineering College.
