HUBBALLI: Moved by a video of a great Indian gaur eating plastic waste on the edge of the Kali Tiger Reserve, foresters decided to clear an entire 25 km road stretch of trash thrown by tourists and locals.
The foresters from the Kumbarwada division of the Kali Reserve took up the task of clearing both sides of the road that lead to the famous Ulavi temple in Joida taluk of Uttara Kannada district.
The road leading to Ulavi and Anashi forest areas has regular traffic of tourists and local vehicles. Despite signboards asking people not to litter, the practice continues.
There are a few points along the road where mobile signals are available and these have become dumping grounds. Many youths who sit here for hours with their mobiles were seen littering the area.
"We first cleared the trash between Kumbarwada and Amshet anti-poaching camp on a trial basis. Later, we cleaned the entire stretch till Anashi forests including the surroundings of a watchtower. There are many herbivores which cross the main road between Anashi and Kumbarwada. Gaurs, sambars and chital are commonly seen on this stretch during the night hours. If the tourists throw the waste along the road, it's possible that the wild animals may try to feed on them and consume plastic which is harmful to them. Hence we decided to make the stretch plastic free," said a senior official from the reserve.
"Once the fire season is over, we are planning to take up the cleaning work once again. This year the annual fair at Ulavi temple has been called off due to the ongoing pandemic. But this may not stop hundreds of devotees who travel in their bullock cart to the temple from various parts of North Karnataka. We are expecting the carts to start coming to Ulavi in the next few days. It's again a big challenge to manage waste disposal when thousands of devotees arrive here," noted the official.