UN may recognise resident group

Clean-up efforts over the past 35 weeks by a residents group, Versova Resident Volunteers (VRV), resulting in collection of over 3 lakh kilogrammes of solid waste from the Versova beach may get recognition from the United Nation’s Ocean Conservation Programme. On Wednesday, Lewis Pugh, UN Patron of Oceans, applauded the efforts of VRV’s beach cleanup programme on Twitter and has asked the group to send a complete brief about the movement.

The Asian Age had reported on the group’s efforts on June 12, 2016: Versova beach rid of 3L kg of solid waste. Since the movement started on October 23, 2015, VRV’s team has been working on early mornings every weekend for the past nine months in order to clean the beach. Some times, they also gather on weekends.

VRV is now focusing on the northern side of the beach, which has reached a vulnerable state due to lack of intensive cleaning by BMC contractors, apathy of local residents who are adding up to the garbage in spite of the VRV movement and lack of an approach road to the site, which is restricting the cleaning programme.

Mr Pugh, who was named as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2010 for his “potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership”, is also an ocean advocate, swimmer and UN Patron of the Oceans. He is known for swimming the Arctic Sea channel and ice glacial lake on Mount Everest for creating awareness about climate change.

“Plastic pollution has a devastating impact on our oceans. Thank you for your commitment and hard work to change that,” tweeted Mr Pugh, taking note of the VRV movement on Wednesday.

Afroz Shah, co-founder of VRV, said UN’s recognition of its work would make a lasting impact on the overall ocean conservation efforts. “Pugh immediately messaged me to ask me to send a comprehensive brief of the entire movement and plan of action. He has said that the UN would look into the matter of policy framework for the beach conservation,” said Mr Shah.

Even as international agencies are taking note of the movement, irregular help from BMC contractors have left the northern side of the beach in the lurch. On Wednesday, only eight labourers of the BMC took part in the cleaning programme of the northern side along with VRV volunteers.

In addition, the tidal movement has resulted in piling up of garbage stacks at the beach of waste washed down in the current from the creeks of Malad.

“Local residents need to stop throwing garbage in the ocean because even though we have personally cleaned it four times, the side of the beach is still piling up with plastic waste,” added Mr Shah.