TURA: This was a celebration with a difference in Garo Hills. As entire localities and young students took a pledge to turn their surroundings into a ‘Green Zone’ and help contain the menace of pollution, particularly plastic pollution, World Environment Day was on Tuesday celebrated through mass tree plantations, release of endangered species into their natural world and a cleaning drive of the neighbourhoods of Tura town.
This year’s theme for the global celebration was “Beat Plastic Pollution”.
In line with this theme, small steps are being taken by the people, particularly the youth, in trying to contain the plastic menace which has polluted rivers and streams in Tura and other towns, clogged drains and polluted the soil.
Tura, in particular, is being swamped by plastic waste in every locality with no remedy in sight. The streams passing through the heart of the town, Gandrak, Ringrey and the Babupara streams, are polluted with plastic waste, particularly water bottles and bags, and people continue to discharge human waste into the water leaving it highly polluted.
While the rampant illegal tree felling in the reserve forests of East Garo Hills, namely Songsak and Rongjeng (Darugre) reserve, has destroyed the green cover of Garo Hills, nearer home, jhumming close to the foothills of the Nokrek Biosphere has impacted the water catchment areas which provide the rivers with its volume.
In the midst of all these there is a silver lining as more and more people, youth and elders, join hands to play a constructive role. From primary school children as far away as Baghmara in the south to Dura-Kantragre children on the Tura peak region; every child eagerly awaited their turn to plant a tree sapling at their chosen site.
Tree plantation wasn’t the only step taken on World Environment day.
Peace Club Environmentalists from the North Garo Hills plains of Resubelpara who had recently rescued two star turtles from captivity released the pair to their natural habitat in “Turtle Sanctuary” at Aruakgre in the district on the occasion of World Environment Day celebration.
Another gigantic step taken against pollution was on the “Plastic Free Zone”. Members of a development committee in the heart of Tura have been honoured for their role in making their area a “Plastic Free” zone.
The Asilsong Development Committee was acknowledged by former Union minister and current South Tura legislator Agatha K Sangma for their active role in environment protection and preservation. The committee has taken a pledge to make Chandmari locality of Tura town ‘Plastic free’ beginning today. Its members were handed a citation and a cash prize for their environment protection work by Agatha Sangma during celebration of world environment day at Don Bosco College, Tura.
The government from its side has also begun taking steps to segregate and collect plastic waste from all localities of Tura town and other parts of the district which would be shredded here with the help of the Tura Municipal Board.
This plastic waste would be used as one of the materials for making roads in the region. Already several village roads across different development blocks in Garo Hills are under construction using plastic cell technology wherein plastic I the form of ‘honeycombs’ are being used for its construction.