Gone are the days when the ecologically sensitive Nelliampathy ranges in the district remained under the tight grip of plastic menace that smothered the region’s rich flora and fauna.
Dismayed by the accumulation of garbage in the tourist spot located close to the Parambikulam National Park, a group of youngsters from Nenmara in the foothills have formed a collective to do their bit to save the precious hills from where numerous streams originate irrigating vast stretches of agricultural land in Palakkad and Thrissur and Coimbatore and Tirupur districts in Tamil Nadu.
“We call ourselves greenery guards. Since the formation of the collective six months ago, we were able to collect and scientifically dispose of plastic waste weighing 1.5 tonnes from the whole Nelliampathy. We are collecting garbage, including liquor bottles, from the hills at least once in every month. During each initiative, at least 50 volunteers collect the waste. The periodic interventions help keep the destination clean and green,” said U. Narayana Swami, one of the coordinators.
ADVERTISEMENT
Forest Department
The team is getting full cooperation of the Forest Department and the department deputes its own staff to work along with the volunteers. Now, the movement has inspired shopowners and taxi drivers of Nelliampathy too. Taxi operators have taken a resolve to make the tourists aware of the adverse impacts of plastic waste. The shopowners and taxi drivers do not allow visitors to discard plastic waste in key tourist locations. As a result, the visitors have to carry back their plastic waste from the hills.
The collective takes the waste from Nelliampathy to Nenmara for segregation and scientific treatment. The members divide the expense among themselves for hiring vehicles to transport the waste.
ADVERTISEMENT
Major tourist spots of Nelliampathy, including Thampuran Kunnu view point, Ayappanthittu, Kesavanpara, Nooradi, Pulayanpara, Kaikkatti, and Cherunelli, are remaining clean because of the intervention of the collective.