Kerala fishermen line up against marine littering, GIDA's Munambam project to remove 2,000kg plastic waste

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Kochi: Fishermen who set off from Munambam harbour in Kochi hoping for a bountiful catch will also have a new mission soon. Armed with collection bags, they will venture into the deep sea to scoop up piles of plastic waste buried in the depths of water. The state fisheries department has given the nod to a proposal submitted by the Goshree Island Development Authority (GIDA) under the title 'Suchitwa Sagaram Sundara Theeram' project. It aims at tackling marine plastic pollution.
The plan is to collect at least 2,000 kg of plastic waste from the sea each month. Over 600 boats arrive at the harbour and leave for fishing at Munambam. The officials estimate that the project can go a long way in dealing with the plastic menace in the sea with the participation of all the fishing boats. If found viable, the project will be emulated at other fishing harbours in the state.
"For the past 25 years, GIDA has primarily focused on infrastructure development, with not much emphasis on environmental or eco-inclusive development. However, the growing issue of marine litter, which sees nearly 8 billion tons of plastic accumulating in the ocean, needs to be addressed," said Raghuraman, Secretary of GIDA and nodal officer of the project.
"I attended a National Conference on Marine Litter last January, which highlighted the severity of the situation. The larger question is, 'How can we stop pollution in the sea?' One solution is to involve local fishermen in the effort. Although they are willing to take part in the initiative, financial incentives are necessary to encourage their involvement. As the required funding cannot be sourced at the government level, we are seeking the help of NGOs like Planet Earth," he said.
According to the project proposal, GIDA will provide collection bags to approximately 600 fishing boats operating from Munambam Fishing Harbour. Fishermen will receive Rs 50 per bag (with a 3 kg capacity) as payment for collecting plastic waste. A 200 sq ft collection shed will be constructed for the temporary storage of collected plastic waste. The collected plastic will be sorted at a yard near Perumbavoor. Recyclable plastics will be sent to recycling units, while non-recyclable plastics will be used to create art by volunteers from NGO Planet Earth. Non-usable plastics will be sent to cement factories for use in kilns.
HCLTech will fund the collection bags, while NGO Planet Earth will cover the transportation costs. GIDA will oversee the project's implementation and report progress to the government on a regular basis. A few years ago, the fisheries department and the Harbour engineering department undertook a similar project with the participation of fishermen at Neendakara to collect plastic waste from the sea. In two months, the fishermen were able to collect 12,000 kg of plastic waste. This project was implemented as part of the scheme 'Suchitwa Theeram', which was pitched by the former fisheries minister J Mercykutty Amma.
A preliminary meeting will be held this week ahead of the project's implementation.