Protecting the environment is a headache of all countries that is increasing with each single passing day and sadly no balm is proving to be desirably effective. There are frequent campaigns to raise awareness among common people about the causes that contribute to environmental degradation enumerating the immediate dos and don’ts. The Himalayan Clean Up Campaign 2019 conducted by RGU on May 26 was somewhat different in the sense it will actually act as a pollution data bank throwing light on the current state of environmental affairs in the region and thus pave the way for deciding the strategies to tackle the upcoming challenges, besides creating a good amount of awareness.

Although the Himalayan Clean Up Campaign had its inception only last year, it has managed to attract wide attraction due to the valuable chunk of information it had brought, corroborating the speculation that the Himalayan belt of states are under alarming environmental stress. From the last year’s effort which saw mobilisation of over 15,000 volunteers from nearly 300 points in 12Himalayan states including Arunachal Pradesh, it transpired that more than 95 per cent of the trash was of plastic, one of the most unmanageable and threatening cause of global pollution. Out of four lakh pieces of plastic waste, it was revealed that more than 2.50 lakh i.e 62.67% comprised of multi-layered plastics that are used to pack foods, followed by single use plastic such as PET bottles, tetra packs and plastic layered paper cups etc. And it is only after getting full details of this year’s data, a comparison can be drawn with that of 2018. According to experts, multi-layered plastic is non-bio-degradable and non-recyclable causing immediate as well as long-term effects on environment. Plastic is a real threat and its use is nothing less than slow poisoningsince once it enters the environment, its influence on ecosystems continues for decades. And in spite of all the rules and regulations in force tangible signs of improvement are still missing.

The Himalayas are termed as majestic not only because of its astounding beauty but also because of its vibrant ecosystem which in turn sustains the entire region and its population, of which Arunachal is very much a part. But sadly, plastic pollution  is now out to choke the entire Himalayan region. If more stringent measures are not taken on a war-footing, future environmental hazardsin the forms of unexpectedly heavy rainfalls, flash floods etc will be the inevitable long-term consequences.

Himalayan Clean Up Campaign has done a commendable job through this environment audit, thus feeding the mitigation mechanism with crucial insights.

Onus will now be on society as a whole and administration in particular to draw the rescue blueprint.