Residents living around lakes have recently been pitching in for the cleaning of the water bodies, say members of an NGO that has been working in this area.
More than 2,000 volunteers poured in over the weekend to clear tonnes of garbage. Volunteers from Environmentalist Foundation of India removed waste in Mudichur Seekanan Eri, Keelkattalai Lake, and Old Perungalathur pond. The drive on Saturday at Old Perungalathur was their 100{+t}{+h}lake cleaning drive.
On Sunday, the teams cleaned Seekkanan Eri, Mudichur and Keelkattalai Lake. More than eight tonnes of waste was removed. EFI founder Arun Krishnamurthy, said: “People living near the sprawling lakes and tanks in Chennai have moved out of the comforts of their homes and started cleaning them up.”
More than 5,000 volunteers took part in a massive coastal clean up on beaches between Marina and Puducherry, clearing over 29 tonnes of garbage as part of the sixth-year edition of the Chennai Coastal Cleanup. Organised by Chennai Trekking Club in association with Clean Chennai, an initiative from Chennai Corporation.
(Additional reporting by Zubeda Hamid)