Navi Mumbai resident Dharmesh Barai has been dedicated to cleaning up vital environmental elements for several years. Each Sunday, he, along with volunteers and well-wishers, cleans mangroves, beaches, or waterfalls. His commitment is evident in the fact that he has been organising these Sunday clean-up drives for the past 234 weeks with over 90,000 participants.
In 2008, he started Environment Life Foundation. “The entire world is facing environment-related challenges and crises, but most of us never talk about solutions or actions. And so I think instead of just questioning the government, we all should be something at a citizen-level,” says the founder.
Barai’s work has grown exponentially in the past year, making a huge impact beyond Mumbai. He recently started a special initiative called ‘Plastic-Free Sahyadri’, under which his group has removed plastic waste from seven trekking routes spread across the stunning Sahyadri range of mountains.
“We have rich mountain biodiversity and historic forts along these trekking routes. Unfortunately, trekkers leave behind a trail of trash at these iconic sites, mainly consisting of water bottles and packaged food. We have conducted seven clean-up drives and removed around two tonnes of plastic waste, which is sent to recyclers,” he shares. He believes that people need to be educated about the importance of these areas.
The 38-year-old’s neighbourhood, along with many other places in Navi Mumbai, is blessed with wetlands. However, he believes many people are unaware of their significance, especially for coastal cities like Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. "On this World Wetlands Day (February 2), we conducted clean-up drives in the wetlands and raised awareness about how wetlands act as sponges, holding excess rainwater and effectively preventing flooding in cities," he explains. He conducted the awareness and cleaning sessions in collaboration with other stakeholders, hoping more people will not only understand the challenges but also take part in the solution.
