Sri Vijaya Puram, Jun 05: In pursuance of our goal towards a sustainable & healthy environment, World Environment Day-2025 was celebrated with enthusiasm by South Andaman Forest Division in active coordination with local villagers, students, P.R.I members & other stakeholders in South Andaman. World Environment Day-2025 is celebrated all across the country this year on the theme “Beat Plastic Pollution”. Accordingly, befitting environment-oriented activities were meticulously chalked out by Mr. Ashwin J. Parihar, I.F.S, Divisional Forest Officer, South Andaman Forest Division.
In pursuance, marine & coastal plastic clean-up drive was undertaken under active supervision of A.C.F (S.A) & A.C.F (H.Q) by all the Range Offices having beaches & coastal ecosystems, under the Jurisdiction of South Andaman Forest Division such as the beautiful & pristine beaches of Collinpur, New Wandoor, Beodnabad, Chota Balu, Munda Pahad, Shoal Bay-19 among others. A total of 443.61 kgs of plastic waste comprising of Plastic bottles, Plastic nets/ Plastic items, Disposable Glass & plates, Plastic wrappers, along with a combined total weight of 990.36 kgs, including other wastes such as Glass bottles, Thermocol debris, etc. were cleared up from the beaches. Along with the clean-up drive, plantation activities were also carried out in ANIIMS College, Jirgatang Outpost, Miletilak Veterinary Hospital etc. to recover the environment. Essay & drawing competitions on this theme were also conducted amongst school students & various stakeholders to create awareness among the future of the nation towards environmental causes.
Accumulation of Plastic waste or any unwanted waste in the sea beaches disrupts the marine & coastal ecosystem severely in a negative manner. Plastic debris smothers coral reefs, seagrass beds, and nesting areas for marine organisms. Plastics break into microplastics over a period of time which alters the natural composition of sand and affects the natural habitat of marine creatures. They also harm marine life by getting mistakenly ingested by marine animals or their entanglement in nets, often resulting in their untimely death. Our department requests active coordination with all stakeholders to promote community driven initiatives in keeping the beaches & coastal systems clean for our sustainable & bright future. Healthy & clean beaches aid significantly in maintaining the unique biodiversity of our pristine Islands. The stakeholders and visitors are again requested by the department to use dustbins, along with adoption of healthy life practices to limit their waste generation and to avoid littering of waste in the coastal ecosystems.
