Armed with gloves and masks more than 400 volunteers visited Juhu beach on Friday morning to take part in DNA's Eco Ganesha clean up drive.
After the city bade adieu to Lord Ganesha after the culmination of the 11-days festival on Thursday, partially dissolved idols and puja paraphernalia were found lying discarded at the beach. Armed with gloves and masks more than 400 volunteers visited Juhu beach on Friday morning to take part in DNA's Eco Ganesha clean up drive.
Among the volunteers where many enthusiastic school and college students who lent a hand to the BMC workers and help them clean the beach. Actor Nandish Sandhu got his hands dirty in order to clean up garbage along Juhu along.
"I have volunteered for beach clean up drives earlier, but this is my first time to participate in a drive after Ganpati visarjan. A few friends of mine who have been part of such activities, they inspired me to join a cleanup drive after the immersion day. It is always good to spread awareness about cleanliness, but it is heartbreaking to see the aftermath of the festival on the beaches," said Sandhu
He added, "If we as a citizen behave a little more responsibly and take care of the environment, it will be a good step forward."
Speaking about the experience, Pratik Ozar, a third-year student of Saraf College, said, "Beach clean up is a social cause. We have to come forward to make our society clean. By cleaning the beach, we are making our surrounding look beautiful and clean. People should step forward to celebrate the festival in an eco-friendly way."
Vijay Gujaran, from the NGO Society for Human & Environmental Development (SHED), who was also a part of the drive said, "I have been taking part in the drive for seven years. I started conducting a beach clean up drive after Ganesh visarjan as a student seven years ago. Now, as a part of a SHED, we tied up with around six schools and over 15 colleges to volunteer us for the clean up activity."
He added, "In my society, we have been promoting eco-friendly idols for 15 years. It is the best way to celebrate the festival."
Larson Fernandes founder of Juhu Angels, an NGO that has been taking part in post Ganapati beach clean up drives for the past 10 years, said, "The journey which around 10 years back has shown a positive change. There was less of idol immersion in the sea this year as compare to previous years. Many of them opted for an Eco-friendly immersion this year. But this year, there was a lot of plastic materials which was cleaned up during the beach clean up drive."
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