The reiteration on Goa Revolution Day to make Goa free of plastic, gives some sense of hope that the expected change in use of plastic will happen, especially as it comes just days after World Environment Day whose theme was ‘If you can’t reuse it, refuse it’. The May 31 deadline has passed, and the Chief Minister has admitted that his illness and treatment in the United States did affect the plan to rid the State of plastic.
Two days after the Chief Minister’s announcement, as the monsoon clouds opened up, the menace that plastic causes was again visible on the ground, as flooded streets were a reminder that plastic bags did clog up the drainages on the roads.
The first rains in early June had exposed the shoddy pre-monsoon works of the local authorities as the State appeared to be ill prepared to meet the fury of the rain. Take the capital city for instance. The pre-monsoon work was carried out, but roads were inundated and commuters were put to hardship as a result of flooding that was reported along the main D B Marg and 18th June road, as well as at Miramar, Tonca, Mala and other parts. These are areas that annually face problems of flooding, and despite cleaning up the cross drainage near Bal Bhavan in Campal on D B Marg continues to get water logged. The continuous rain kept reminding of the problems caused by plastic.
But we can’t always blame the local authorities for the problem. One of the main reasons why the drains are getting blocked is that waste, especially plastic carry bags and bottles, are strewn on the roadside and collect in the drains choking them and stopping the water from flowing out into the river. It may be the duty of the local authority to clear the drains, but the citizens too have the responsibility of not flinging their garbage into the drains. That little civic sense among the residents of the city will go a long way in ensuring that the city does not get flooded every monsoon.
Though a welcome move, the government’s efforts to make Goa plastic free will surely be met with protests, especially from among the business community. A couple of months ago the attempt by the municipal councils to charge traders dispensing plastic a nominal fee met with stiff resistance forcing the local authorities to go back on the decision. Extending deadlines of a plastic-free Goa have not given much optimism that it will actually happen.
The importance of phasing out plastic is because this is one material that is not biodegradable and the innocuous plastic shopping bag can remain in the environment for eight decades. Goa this monsoon has got a glimpse of what the simple plastic bag can do. It is for the people to take measures to ensure that it does not repeat the next monsoon.
Goa’s has been a slow march to this stage where it plans to ban the use of plastic bags. Whatever action has been taken has been weighed down by protests. It is, however, important to accept the fact that plastic can do more harm than good to the environment, and from that premise work to eliminate the indiscriminate use of plastic.
