Adyar River: A Wake-Up Call for Chennai

 Hi everyone,

This article is from muttonpeice.blogspot.com.

Today, I experienced something that made me stop and think about the way we live in our city.

While I was travelling to college by bus, I happened to pass by the Adyar River. Suddenly, a terrible smell came through the bus. I woke up and looked outside. What I saw was upsetting—plastic, garbage and other waste had accumulated around the waterway.

What disturbed me even more was seeing children playing in areas surrounded by such waste.

I couldn't stop thinking about their health and the people living in the surrounding areas. How did our rivers reach this condition? Is it the responsibility of the government? The Chennai Corporation? The people of Chennai? Or all of us?

We often learn about cleanliness and keeping our surroundings clean. Yet, even educated people sometimes throw waste in public places. If we know that pollution is harmful, why do we continue to add to it?

The situation becomes even more concerning during the rainy season. Waste and polluted water can create unhygienic conditions and increase the risk of problems for people living nearby. What looks like “just garbage” can become a much bigger environmental and public-health concern.

But this article is not written only to blame the government.

It is a message to every person living in Chennai and everyone who visits our city.

Keeping our surroundings clean is our responsibility too.

If you cannot clean the area yourself, at least don't make it dirtier. Don't throw plastic bottles, food packets, bags or other waste into rivers or on the streets. Put waste in the proper place.

While travelling, I also noticed sanitation workers collecting the waste from these areas. We sometimes forget that the people doing this difficult work are human beings too. They are working to support their families and to keep our city clean.

If we cannot help them, at least treat them with respect. We should never look down on someone because of the work they do.

One thing that particularly struck me was seeing many everyday items among the waste—things that people buy, use and simply throw away. Every piece of waste has a person behind it who decided where to put it.

So, before throwing something away, ask yourself:

“Where will this waste end up?”

Our rivers are not dumping grounds. They are part of Chennai's environment, history and identity.

We cannot change everything in one day. But we can change our own habits.

Please take this seriously. After reading this article, don't be another person who adds waste to our rivers.

A cleaner Chennai doesn't begin with someone else.

It begins with us.🌊❤️

               .muttonpeice.blogspot.com