With 2020 came many surprises, not all of them positive. A deadly virus on the break, national emergency, scarcity of goods, unable to be with families and friends, gradually the year turned a dull grey as uncertainty loomed over the city. However, the people of Mangalore tried in the littlest of ways to make the world a better place still. One such group of people is the Klean Kadal group that has helped clear waste off beaches and make them clean again.
One might assume that since lesser people are out and about in the city, the state of beaches must have improved. Shockingly, the opposite happened. The conditions of the beaches became worse, garbage was piling up day after day, the beach becoming more of a dump yard than a recreational spot. However, many volunteers joined hands with different organizations in order to clean the beaches and seashore. As mentioned before, Klean Kadal is one such group that strives to clean the beaches of waste and free mother nature.
As of now, the group has initiated clean drives at the Kanwatheertha, Someshwar, and Ucchila beaches which have been met with a positive response. In total, more than 300 bags containing waste were collected which contained various kinds of plastics, slippers, glass bottles, and more. Many locals came to volunteer for the clean drives among whom there were many who used to come to the beach for morning jogs and walks.
The Klean Kadal team first began collecting the waste on the 20th of October. After 12 days of cleaning sessions with the aforementioned teammates, they launched a full-fledged cleaning drive. They are of the opinion that nothing is impossible and that if everyone can come together to clean the beaches, it would work wonders for the environment. Furthermore, they also admits that this task is easier said than done. It demands a lot of work hours and support from everyone possible to make it a success. Alternatives to suing plastics like carrying one’s own instead of buying bottles, carrying cotton bags instead of plastic bags for shopping will, in their opinion, help in reducing the consumption of plastic. They also opined that the government should ban plastics so that the whole idea of using plastics goes out of the question.
Not only have the Klean Kadal team started many clean drives but they have also conducted an event by the name ‘Kinare-2020’ on the first of November at the Kanwatheertha, Someshwara, and Ucchila beaches alongside Sukesh Vijay Kumar (MRPL) in order to ensure that people understand the importance of keeping the environment clean. Research has revealed that many bay fish are dying due to the consumption of microplastics that make their way into the ocean somehow. Continuous use of plastics will only cause more harm to the environment, says Pavithra who also mentioned that her team members are enthusiastic about cleaning not only the beaches but also the city.
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