THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The four-kilometre stretch between Edayar and Poonthura Beach presents a distressing sight, marred by extensive piles of plastic waste scattered indiscriminately. This accumulation, washed ashore by the sea, prompted 132 local children and youths to embark on a cleaning drive on Saturday evening, organised under the supervision of Fr Peter Darvin from the Poonthura St Thomas Church.
The local residents have long been discontented with the proliferation of plastic waste tarnishing the once-picturesque Poonthura beach. Despite acknowledging the monumental challenge ahead, their determination remained unwavering. Fr Darvin, with limited sponsorship, except for a local resort owner who provided 150 caps for the children, embarked on the initiative. Upon notifying the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation about the cleanup, they generously contributed 200 gloves and 62 sacks.
“The sea has regurgitated tons of plastic waste onto the shore, predominantly originating from the Karamana River and the Thiruvallam area.
Despite our efforts in the three-hour cleanup drive, only 10% of the garbage, which included plastic bottles, covers, and medical waste, could be removed. The cleanup had to be halted due to heavy rainfall,” Fr Darvin said.
The corporation authorities have since removed the collected garbage. Several families of local students also actively participated in the cleanup endeavour. Moving forward, Fr Darvin, along with the collective effort of the children, youths, altar boys, and members of the Kerala Catholic Youth Movement, plans to commence the next phase of the cleaning campaign in the coming days.