Weeding out the menace: Wildlife to breathe free as effort on to rid forests, water bodies of plastic

CHENNAI: The Forest Department has launched a massive plastic clean-up drive across the 21 bird sanctuaries and water bodies in the State.

State Chief Secretary N Muruganandham inaugurated the drive at an event held in Pallikaranai Marshland on Saturday.

The clean-up drive will be carried out simultaneously in Vedanthangal Birds Sanctuary (Kancheepuram), Karikili Birds Sanctuary (Kancheepuram), Pulicat Lake Birds Sanctuary (Tiruvallur), Vettangudi Birds Sanctuary (Sivagangai), Kanjirankulam Birds Sanctuary (Ramanathapuram), Karaivetti Birds Sanctuary (Ariyalur), Vellode Birds Sanctuary (Erode), Oussudu Lake Birds Sanctuary (Villupuram), Kazhuveli Birds Sanctuary (Villupuram), Nanjayan Tank Birds Sanctuary (Tiruppur) and others.

During the event, the Chief Secretary highlighted that plastic pollution is one of the gravest threats to both wildlife and human health, causing irreversible damage to ecosystems and food chains. “By uniting citizens, communities, and the government in this collective effort, we are strengthening our resolve to protect biodiversity and create healthier ecosystems,” he said.

“Tamil Nadu is a strategic State to fall on the Central Asian Flyway and is home to an unparalleled diversity of resident and migratory birds like pelicans, flamingos, storks, spoonbills and beyond,” Supriya Sahu, department secretary, said.

At the launch, participants took a pledge to protect Tamil Nadu’s bird sanctuaries and water bodies and keep them free from plastic. The Thuraiyur Forest Department officials, along with the school students, collected plastic waste around the Kurichimalai reserve forest region as part of the drive.