2,500 kg of liquor bottles collected from waterfall near Mumbai

Around 125 environment lovers, trekkers and NSS volunteers, guided by NGO Environment Life, rolled up their sleeves and got down to picking up picnickers’ waste.

Mumbai, July 3: With littering of liquor bottles and plastic waste being a common phenomenon as the monsoon tourism kick starts, the State Forest Department has prohibited consumption of alcohol and littering of plastic waste at the touristic spots.

But, We're despicable picnickers. A group of volunteers from Environment Life, who picked up 2,500kg of trash from vicinity of Kondeshwar temple have requested Mumbaiites and Ashane villagers to refrain from disposing of trash at these tourist sites.

Around 125 environment lovers, trekkers and NSS volunteers, guided by NGO Environment Life, rolled up their sleeves and got down to picking up picnickers' waste.

They cautioned that the rampant littering should not be taken lightly. "Glass bottles can cause accidents as well as injure animals that drink out of the waterfall," harmesh Barai, head coordinator, Environment Life. warned, with others raising a red flag over drinking and getting into the water, reports Hindustan Times.

"It was difficult to collect so many alcohol bottles, despite being helped by more than 5,000 people. We filled 120 large bags with litter by the end," said Dharmesh Barai, head coordinator, Environment Life. "However, this comprises just 10% of the trash at the waterfall," he added.

"People are willing to visit such places, but are unwilling to forego carrying plastic bottles, wafers packets and liquor bottles. The leftover trash from these outings creates pollution, disturbs nature, disturbs animals and birds, and injures locals," he said.

"The local civic bodies have been directed to increase police presence at all waterfall sites to ensure there are no untoward incidents. Police must check whether people are carrying alcohol. State-sponsored clean-up drives will be conducted after the monsoon ends," said an official from MTDC.

The locals demand complete ban on liquor consumption at waterfall tourist spots.

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