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Plastic Caps Choke Historic Gujarat Park
16 Jun
Summary
- Thousands of discarded plastic bottle caps now threaten a 148-year-old park.
- VMC has banned single-use plastic and started fining litterers.
- Plastic waste in the park pollutes the Vishwamitri River.
Sayajibaug, a historic park in Gujarat, is grappling with an unusual environmental challenge: an influx of discarded plastic bottle caps. Over its 148-year history, the park has never before faced such a threat. These small plastic items are accumulating in the lawns and soil, leading to significant environmental concerns.
The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has taken action, implementing a ban on single-use plastic within the park. Officials noted that visitors frequently leave behind bottle caps and wrappers, which are difficult to remove and persist in the ecosystem. The VMC has initiated a crackdown on littering, with Municipal Commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu reporting visible improvements in cleanliness following the enforcement of fines.
To bolster the ban, VMC is checking visitor bags at entry points. The plastic pollution from Sayajibaug also contributes to the contamination of the Vishwamitri River, which runs through the park, highlighting broader ecological issues for the city. Over 100 individuals have been fined in the past two weeks for littering.
