Surat Speaks - Mamta Vora, a dedicated housewife and equally active environmentalist has innovative ideas for solution.....

“We exist at a time when the climate change has become irreversible and we have to focus urgently on preventing it from further deterioration. We have to do what is possible and what is still in our control before it is too late….Our focus should be to minimize water and air pollution and sound pollution for our sanity…..” Says Mrs Mamta Vora, a housewife, with post graduate degree in science, and a keen dedication for the social causes and conservation of environment.

Mrs Vora has her master’s degree in home science. She is one of those citizens, who are not only concerned, but also believe in action. She has been actively managing her time, in giving her services as teacher for primary students and also has been actively involved in promoting eco-friendly products for city. She also has a deep concern for increasing noise pollution and its ill effects.

“We celebrate many festivals in India which are a joy to few and inconvenience and harassment to many and the environment. We pollute the air busting loud crackers which also contribute to sound pollution as well as littering the road with debri.  Any true religion is about nurturing the planet not destroying it. We can celebrate using paper crackers and safe natural colours and diyas using oil rather than candles. Being religious does not mean proclaiming your faith by bursting noisy crackers at midnight …..” her words are harsh, but speaks reality. Noise pollution, even without celebrations, is one those ‘neglected’ issue of our city. Our city is on verge, with noise of celebrations and vehicular horns.

“The Ganesh festival with the POP idols and the pollution they cause to rivers and aquatic life as well as the sound pollution caused for 10 days around the installation is quite a well-known and discussed subject. We have to replace POP with clay or any other environmentally friendly alternative. There are many alternatives and awareness of these can be advertised on hoardings displayed by showrooms etc. They can even participate and install such an idol which will set an example to follow.”

“Hoardings with such eco-friendly solutions displayed by shops and showrooms will send a powerful message and at no extra cost as they would be displayed on their own signboards. And when this is done along with the establishments own participation people will certainly join in large numbers.” This is a wonderful idea, as suggested by Mrs Vora. A general appeal, to all people and establishments, who are putting hoardings, to just add a simple, small tagline in their hoarding for some cause of environment conservation. This is a unique idea, and something that has potential not only to involve more people for a cause, but also to make a change for real!

“There should be a term used for psychological pollution which destroys mental peace. Lack of civic sense when standing in a queue, honking unnecessarily, wrong side driving, wrong side overtaking , continuous sound pollution by industrial air-conditioners and restaurant chimneys , lack of parking sense , cheating on taxes, fraud …..All of the above may not destroy the physical environment but are very detrimental to our spiritual and psychological health and environment.”

She is also actively involved in promoting eco-friendly bags, for preventing use of plastic. 

Eco friendly paper bags for your products available at...

Shree Mahadev Trust
0261 2322306
9408802020

Please contact the above for your requirement of paper bag and share contact details to other groups.  You may talk to  Kusumben Desai.

Let us take the initiative to stop using plastic

Sincere thanks, Mrs Mamta Vora…….

Himanshu (Arjun ) Padhya

Ganesh Visarjan, 2016 – Surat taking small but firm steps towards resilience…..

Every year, Ganesh Visarjan has been that day for the city that challenges authorities in several ways. From the issue of handling traffic to issue of immersion of POP statues of Ganeshji….the high number of statues and whooping population, makes the authorities work round the clock, one day before and after the holy ceremony, and yet the issues remain….

This year, for the first time it was different.

Image courtesy -  Mr Dhruv Parmar

For the first time, all vehicles carrying heavy or light Ganeshji statues were given specific routes. This is done every year though, but this time, the trucks and vehicles remained in the slow traffic lane, keeping one lane clear for routine traffic of cars and two wheeler most of the time.  Thousands of litres of fuel were saved due to this. Time saved. And the city air was spared from toxic vehicular emissions of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. And all it took was a simple thing. a simple understanding.

In almost every municipal zone of the city, there were artificial lakes created for the immersion of POP statues. The capacities of these lakes were different. This time, these lakes served the purpose. And Varacha Zone of the city most actively participated in this act of using artificial lakes, as per a newspaper today. The aquatic life of our Tapi and sea was saved to a great extent due to this step from the harmful effects of POP.

Of course there were issues and exceptions. The stalls distributing drinks and free food packets used plastic bags. The users, people displayed the same old behavior of ‘NOT CARING’ and the entire area near such food stalls, was covered with plastic waste of bags and disposable glasses. This brings us to the same old answer to the same old issue – public participation. The lack of sense of belongingness for the city and environment has already been discussed here several times.

Image courtesy for both above images -  Author

Thanks to the efforts of the authorities and SMC, by the following morning, that is today morning, most of these plastic waste was collected and taken care of.

One can only hope that this would not be repeated next year. This would help us improve ourselves. This year, we have seen fresh new signs of resilience with blessing from Ganeshji….we could only hope for the things to become better in coming years.

Himanshu (Arjun) Padhya

Bless us with 'Resilience', Shreeji.......

‘Ganesh Chaturthi’, is not only one of the biggest festival for Indians, but also is the beginning of festival season, that ends with ‘Diwali’…..as you drive around in the city, especially in old walled city area, you see celebrations everywhere…..people bringing their own unique ‘Pratima’ – A statue of Ganeshji, with music bands, dance and many more way of celebrations. For ten days, these celebrations would continue, with blessings from Shreeji.

Selling of statues, made of plaster of paris, is a major issue that is associated with these celebrations, because of the holy ritual of 'Visarjan' of those is river, of in sea. POP is a serious threat to the ecology of river. It not only pollutes the river, but also harms the aquatic life of the river.

Many activist groups and individual are doing their best, to create awareness among the people not to use or buy POP statues for Shreeji. We, surties salute the spirit of them, and we seek kind blessings from Ganeshji to give us that strength to protect our river and environment from threats…..