GARBAGE DUMP AND EMPTY BOTTLES IN THE RESERVE FOREST, VALPOI by Abdulla Khan, Valpoi

VALPOI----Consistently dumping of garbage packed in plastic bags is observed and the practice is on the rise by some unknown person in the reserve forest area at Reddeghat, Valpoi.

The area once known for its tranquil pollution free atmosphere are now become site for dumping garbage. Except tress which catches your attention is the color, not from natural as you would expect but from plastic bags. Many plastic bags litter the forest floor and this ominous image seems to warn of that the green habitat would be scoffed off by these not reusable trashes. Taking advantage of such isolated place some unknown parties dump large heap of garbage including domestic and commercial trash here.

Civic authorities from Mauxi panchayat area as well as Valpoi town are turning blind to this major problems and till date had not taken any serious steps to control or stop this menace. A visit to the site enable an individual how fast the area is converted into yard of plastic and bottles which are found lying in the stream located at the site beside this plastic littered on the highway adding more to the problem. The soothing and freshly situation now has changed and garbage generated from household and commercial establishment is dumped in this area in large.

Dumping of garbage in an open spot is a violation and disposing it in forest reserve area is a bigger crime but who cares as the responsible authorities are wearing mask of ignorance. In recent times due to widespread awareness drive by NGOS and government and to lesser extent by educational institutions has resulted in increasing the consciousness among few shopkeepers they have shifted back to the old system of wrapping up goods in paper bags or newspapers, Some people are slowly getting habituated to going to the market with cloth bags. Besides a few NGOs, even school students have come forward to take up a promotion campaign for the use of paper or cloth bags. However, the monster called plastic rises the head slowly and now mass usage is observed. Earlier, household trash stayed in landfills but now everything is being packed in a polythene bag before being thrown in open space or isolated areas.

Rather than spending money on anti-plastic campaign, the authorities should gear up its machinery for effective waste management and disposal of plastic Sources from Valpoi municipal council disclosed that they had already got green signal of setting up a compost yard which would bring end to such problems. Meanwhile the residents of nearby areas are having strong objections as they are not aware or taken into consideration in this matter. So residents now had to wait on till the garbage treatment plant sees the light of the day no doubt by that time the plastic littering will cover the whole stretch of Reddeghat forest area.