AGRA: To stop marine plastic litter in Agra and to make people aware of its adverse impact, a Delhi based non-government organisation (NGO) kick-started a cleanliness drive under UN Environment Programme with the help of local bodies on Wednesday by collecting litter from the banks of Yamuna in the Taj city.

The project, ‘Promotion of counter-measures against plastic litter in South East Asia and India’, which has been taken up jointly by Government of Japan and UN Environment Programme, has identified four cities across the nation – Agra, Allahabad, and Haridwar and Mumbai.

Around 2 lakh stakeholders from schools, Resident Welfare Associations, Corporates, hospitality industry in Agra will be trained to understand the adverse impact of plastics on rivers and oceans through workshops and interaction, said the project’s local coordinator, Yogita Narang.

As part of the project, the stakeholders will be training communities on waste segregation, make school children and youth aware about plastic, and working with the hospitality industry to use sustainable alternatives to single use plastics like straws, sachets etc.

Chitra Mukherjee, Head, Advocacy and Policy, for NGO Chintan, said that the project seeks to identify the sources and pathways of major plastic leakage in India and to foster local partnerships for leakage reduction and implement necessary actions.

“My NGO will be working with UNEP in Agra and with local partners, including Agra Nagar Nigam, to create behavioural changes among people for use of single use plastics,” she said.

