‘Mangrove Soldiers’ to mark 300 weeks of coastal cleanup in Navi Mumbai on Sunday

Navi Mumbai: Environment Life Foundation’s Mangrove Cleanup Drive is completing 300 consecutive weeks the coming Sunday, marking a milestone in its weekly coastal clean-up effort in Navi Mumbai. The forest department and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation have joined hands with the drive.

The initiative that began on Aug 15, 2020, with three volunteers went on to engage nearly 1.3 lakh people, who have over the years removed more than 1,200 tonnes of waste from the coastlines in Navi Mumbai, Panvel and Mumbai.

The drive started after environmentalist Dharmesh Barai saw crabs trapped inside plastic waste at Nerul jetty during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Barai, along with friends Shriram Shankar and Rohan Bhosale, launched the mission at Karave Jetty.

The volunteers, known as ‘Mangrove Soldiers’, continue the cleanup every Sunday without a break, regardless of the weather, from 7 am to 10 am. The participants remove solid waste from marshes and mangrove areas.

The waste includes mattresses, medical waste and plastic packaging, and even sofas. According to the foundation, the weekly cleanup focuses on preventing further damage to mangrove ecosystems and nearby wetlands by clearing accumulated waste from sensitive coastal zones. In addition to the mangrove cleanup, the foundation remains active in ‘Plastic-Free Sahyadri’ river conservation and wetland protection. The group’s work received several state and national-level accolades.

Barai appealed to nature lovers for wider public participation on the occasion of the forthcoming 300th week. “We consume resources from nature 24/7 but give nothing back. On our 300th week, I urge citizens to contribute just two hours of manual labour (Shramdaan) for a greener future,” said Barai.

Navi Mumbai mayor Sujata Suraj Patil will encourage the cleanup volunteers by participating in the 300th week drive.