Following the World Environment Day celebrations on Sunday (June 5), members of various organisations joined forces, in an attempt to remove plastic wastes from the Singanallur Lake in Coimbatore.

Volunteers of more than six organizations, including Animal Rescuers, Green Global Trust, Agni Siragugal, Sixth Sense Foundation, and the Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation participated in the clean up drive.

The team of more than 70 volunteers collected four truckloads of plastic waste, which were then transported to the Corporation dump yard near Chettipalayam.

M. Prabhu, a volunteer, said that among the major threats to the lake were the mixing of sewage water and the constant dumping of plastic wastes. “We were only able to collect a fraction of the waste that is spread all over the lake. It will take more than a month to clear the lake of all the plastic wastes,” he added.

Hari Prasath, another volunteer, added that the lake was also being encroached upon at an alarming rate by the locals, who have now started erecting constructions very close to the bunds.

“Many illegal activities also take place during the nights and one can see a number of empty liquor bottles all around,” he informed.

The lake is a also a home to a number of local and migratory birds including the spot-billed pelicans, painted storks, pied wagtails, and spot-billed ducks, according to Vinny R. Peter, one of the organisers.