Plastic waste in Sabarimala, Periyar Tiger Reserve

View from Sabarimala Periyar Tiger Reserve. Where there are humans, there will be garbage. The passage of humans are everywhere, and the presence of humans has become a way of affecting the wild animals. Elephants and other wild animals are eating plastic because these images are evidence. Does the Devasom Board conduct awareness classes every year for the devotees and shop owners? This is something to be discussed, The devotees and shopkeepers discharged garbage to the forest. It has been reported that elephants have died, and the cause of death is due to the plastic inside. Such things happen only because of the exploitation of forests by the humans.

Sabarimala pilgrimage has severely damaged the environment and posed a threat to the wildlife due to the accumulation of plastic waste in the forests. The carcass of a 30-year-old cow elephant was found at Cheriyanavattom, near Sabarimala, on Saturday. In the post-mortem held on Sunday, the lesions of the animal contained the high presence of plastic materials. Forest department sources said that the wild elephants were consuming plastic materials left behind by the pilgrims on the 28-km forest path from Kalaketty to Cheriyanavattom on the way to Sabarimala.

Dr. Abdul Sathaf, assistant forest veterinary officer who conducted the post-mortem, told DC that the animal died due to intestinal obstruction. Mr. P. Johnson, beat forest officer in charge of the Sannidhanam forest station, told DC that the sewage plant of the Travancore Dewaswom Board installed at Cheriyanavattom was not properly covered. Hence wild elephants used to consume plastic materials from the plant. According to Mr. Praphul S. Nair, district coordinator of ‘Guardians of Nature’ the forest path to Sabarimala is inundated with the plastic waste endangering wild animals.

Income from Sabarimala temple for this season had more than 250 crores. Devaswom Board, which has crores of Income every year. Every season, tons of plastic waste is being deposited.