Chhapar Mela venue littered with garbage

Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, October 1

Even after four years of commencement of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the authorities have failed to sensitise residents and organisers of social and religious functions about causes and consequences of environmental pollution. The hype during these campaigns has failed to make any impact on ground. This was quite evident when we took a stock of the venue of Chhapar Mela, one of the largest rural fairs, which was left littered with non-biodegradable wastes.

None of the stakeholders, including devotees, organisers and venders, bothered to dispose of garbage, comprising mostly of poly vinyl chloride (PVC), which would be plough back to the Mother Earth by farmers in due course of time.

Unfortunately, the litter-filled portion of the venue does not fall under the jurisdiction of any civic body, officials of which could be asked to take corrective measures. However, the quantum of degradation had been reduced by rag pickers who took away disposable containers, empty plastic water bottles and large size wrappers worth recycling.

Like many other events of similar nature, all stakeholders, including organisers of the Chhapar Mela, stall owners, intruded the venue, fulfilled their purpose and returned after contributing their share in degrading the environment.

Dr Ravinder Sharma, an environmentalist, regretted that improvement of soil which had been done in decades was reversed at a very fast rate now. “It took at least two generations to convert sand dunes into fertile fields, while the degradation rate has multiplied manifold in the past few years,” said Sharma, apprehending that the addition of non-degradable materials would once against barren the land permanently soon.