The year 2020 is behind us. But only, after it dealt a blow to tourism-dependent economies leaving them struggling to survive. Like Asia’s only non-motorable hill station, Matheran subsists entirely on tourism—mostly local, Elephanta Island whose 1200 residents struggled for survival for over eight months of no tourism-related activity and India’s smallest state Goa dependent hugely on tourism, reduced to a naught, throughout the lockdown.
The lack of tourism did, however, give a breather to nature that almost always faces the brunt of human apathy. Even during the relaxations in Maharashtra, during the lockdown, there was a splurge of tourism activities that followed with locals making a beeline for the waterfalls in and around Mumbai.
In its 16th cleanup operation since 2016, 45 volunteers from Mumbai-based Environment Life with a team of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) removed a colossal 240 kg of trash from Shiravane Waterfall in Nerul in Navi Mumbai in October 2020, before the lockdown ended. The Mumbai-based group has even requested the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) to develop a waterfall tourism policy that includes waste management at these sites.
‘All the areas, where we have conducted cleanups, are within a two-hour drive from the city and accessible to Mumbaikars. And, although, they are famous picnic spots and weekend getaways, the trash left behind after such outings is a major problem. Now, with the lockdown over, it is a great thing for towns and hill-stations entirely dependent on tourism for their livelihood and has been forced to lie low for a huge chunk of 2020. They, however, need to ensure the environment does not get damaged in the process,’ says an irate Dharmesh Barai, head coordinator, Environment Life, and resident of Mumbai.
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