Cleaning up our Rivers

Recently, there was a news report of a river in Mapusa, Goa, which was infested by the water hyacinth weeds, threatening to cause destruction to the flora & fauna of the region. The residents got together to clean up the river, but it seemed like they were facing a mammoth task in the absence of help from the authorities. We in Mumbai are yet to see restoration of the Mithi River, which was the epicentre of the deluge of 2005 and continues to be a cause for concern.

It is imperative that we take such issues seriously and tackle them with urgency. Time is ticking; let's not play games with Nature. Nature can play far more dangerous games than we can handle!

-Melville X. D'Souza

Retired nature and gardening enthusiast from Mumbai.