Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], August 11 (ANI): The Gujarat Forest Department has launched a Plastic Waste Management Project across the Ramsar-designated Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, with an initiative to buy plastic waste collected by villagers whereas strengthening efforts to guard the wetland’s fragile ecosystem.
The Rs 2.94-crore venture has been authorised underneath the Project for Eco-Restoration in Gujarat (PERG), supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It is being applied by the Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Wildlife Division, Sanand, in collaboration with native gram panchayats, Eco-Development Committees (EDCs) and neighborhood members.
Gujarat Minister for Forests and Environment Arjun Modhwadia stated that by establishing a scientific plastic waste administration system round this globally necessary wetland, we goal to eradicate plastic air pollution and defend Nalsarovar’s distinctive ecosystem.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Dr Jaipal Singh stated {that a} devoted Plastic Waste Collection Centre has been established at Kayla village in Viramgam taluka of Ahmedabad district. The venture will cowl villages surrounding Nalsarovar, together with Vekariya, Kayla, Shahpur, Dharji and Meni in Ahmedabad district, and Nani Kathechi and Ranagadh in Surendranagar district.
The Forest Department will systematically accumulate plastic waste from the villages and transport it to the gathering centre. Waste assortment bins are being put in throughout the villages, whereas EDCs will appoint volunteers, often called ‘Swachhta Praharis’, to encourage residents to segregate and correctly eliminate dry plastic waste.
Minister of State for Forests and Environment Pravin Mali stated that the Forest Department will undertake the systematic assortment of plastic waste from villages and transport it to the gathering centre. An in depth work examine has additionally been performed to streamline each day waste assortment and transportation, he added.
As a part of the venture, the Forest Department will buy plastic waste collected from villages round Nalsarovar, offering a chance for residents to take part in waste assortment and administration.
The venture features a waste assortment shed, processing unit, compound wall, safety cabin, water and electrical energy amenities, a plastic waste processing machine, security tools and waste assortment bins.
Chief Project Director (PERG) and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, S.Okay. Srivastava, stated that the initiative is anticipated to generate employment for residents whereas making the venture environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive.
Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary was designated as a Ramsar Site, or Wetland of International Importance, underneath the Ramsar Convention in 2012. Located alongside the Central Asian Flyway, it serves as a wintering and stopover habitat for migratory birds from Central Asia, Siberia and Europe.
The significance of defending the wetland can also be mirrored within the newest annual chook census. During the 2025-26 migratory season, 270 chook species and an estimated 6,42,232 birds had been recorded throughout 50 survey zones. This was a rise of 26 species and a couple of,28,399 birds in contrast with the 2023-24 census.
Rare and globally threatened species recorded included the Yellow-breasted Bunting, Sociable Lapwing, Indian Skimmer, Baer’s Pochard, Dalmatian Pelican and Saras Crane.
The Gujarat authorities has prioritised defending wetlands from threats corresponding to plastic air pollution. The initiative additionally comes amid the nation’s concentrate on wetland conservation underneath Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the variety of wetlands and Ramsar websites in India having practically tripled over the previous 9 years. (ANI)