The naval personnel of the naval base at Kochi, INS Venduruthy have resolved to undertake the cleaning up of the 2.5 Km long ‘Backbay’ channel, to make it plastic free and devoid of all non–biodegradable wastes.
A team of 300-400 naval personnel led by Southern Naval Command (SNC) Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) Vice Admiral AK Chawla kickstarted the endeavour of removing the considerable amount of plastic waste which had accumulated in the Backbay channel – also called as ‘Venduruthy channel’ – over the years thereby depleting the mangroves and affecting the local flora and fauna, an Indian Navy spokesperson said.
The channel, connects to the Kollam-Kottapuram channel, and runs along the western side of the naval residential enclave of Katari Bagh.
Shakritha Suresh Babu, the local councillor was also present during the event.
Four truckloads of non-biodegradable waste were removed by the personnel during the day’s activity.
INS Venduruthy has taken various initiatives to clear the channel on a regular basis and to also plant ‘Vetiver’ (also known as Ramacham in Malayalam) plants that are known to prevent soil erosion and to restore the natural ecosystem. Furthermore, towards keeping the Naval Base and Katari Bagh clean and green, sustainable in-house solutions have been implemented.
