Every afternoon, R. Sabeesh ventures out to Parayanchal, a canal in front of his house at Manaveli in Thanneermukkom, on a small fibre boat. After an hour, he rows back home with the craft filled with a melange of plastic waste. It has plastic bottles, used containers, and a mix of other stuff bleached by sunlight and water current over years.
The 41-year-old man who is on a mission to clean Parayanchal and its tributaries linked to Vembanad Lake says he got inspired by N.S. Rajappan, a differently abled man from Kottayam hailed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year for cleaning Vembanad Lake by collecting plastic.
Mr. Sabeesh bought a fibre boat for ₹26,000 and started collecting plastic floating on the water in July. He has so far collected more than 3,000 plastic bottles, besides other plastic materials.
The money he earns from selling the plastic will be provided to charity and COVID-19 prevention measures in his local body. “After the Prime Minister praised Rajappan, the elderly man and his efforts received a lot of attention. But, not many people have followed in his footsteps. His efforts are worth emulating as it will clean waterbodies and ensure its protection,” says Mr. Sabeesh who runs a PSC coaching centre.
A kidney donor, Sabeesh says that for him plastic collection is fun and an exercise. “Apart from getting waterbodies rid of plastic waste, I also want to prove a kidney donor can lead a normal life after surgery. After all, rowing a boat using an oar involves a lot of physical activity,” he says. He had donated a kidney to his wife two years ago.
The Thanneermukkom native who started collecting plastic waste from Parayanchal has plans to buy a bigger boat and extend the drive to other waterbodies including the lake itself with the help of his friends.
Alappuzha district panchayat recently lauded him for his endeavour.
