For the past four weeks, students of My School Global at Palavakkam are learning about waterbodies and the importance of conserving them. And it is not theoretical, classroom learning — they head to a pond nearby to know find out what it is all about. The school has come up with an initiative whereby an hour every Friday, is dedicated to the exercise centred around restoration of a pond on East Coast Road at Neelankarai.
“We are doing this with the consent of the Greater Chennai Corporation. We have taken up this exercise, because we understand that environment conservation is best taught when the learners are young. All the students of the school are part of this initiative. We ensure that the children wear gloves while picking up any waste.
The pond is mostly used by launders, and our students educate them to not litter the pond with empty packets of detergents. They have been advised to dump it in a bin and hand it over to the Corporation. The laundry workers also take part in the cleaning drive. We have made this exercise known to the larger world through social media platforms so that a larger section of the general public can volunteer. Now, every Saturday, college students, family members of our students take part in this drive. It will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. We also receive support from Communitree, an organisation that seeks to increase the green cover in urban localities. It provides tree saplings to be planted around the pond. We have planted mango and coconut saplings. We learnt from a few parents that their children are now on the lookout for ponds which are in a state of neglect. Besides , two schools have expressed an interest in being a part of our drive. So, this is what we seek to achieve through this programme,” says Radhika Rajesh, the school principal.
Earlier, the school had taken up projects on road safety and solid waste management.
According to a Greater Chennai Corporation official, “The school is doing a good job. On Saturdays, a good number of the general public turn up here and engage in the cleaning activity.
Some bring their own cleaning equipment; in addition, we also provide them with the necessary kit. On the first day of this exercise, 480 kg of bottles was collected.
Every week, the trash that is collected from the pond is sent to the material recovery facility (MRF) of the Greater Chennai Corporation at Ward 198 in Sholinganallur. ”
Those who wish to participate may call 99520 52926.
