Plastic is increasingly becoming an environmental hazard. Thousands of fishermen are grappling with its effects. According to the Ocean Conservancy as much as 150 million metric tonnes of plastic is drifting in our oceans and we dump another 8 million metric tonnes of plastic in them every year.
Priyesh KV, a fisherman from Kerala, grew concerned when more plastic than fishes would get caught in his net. It then became his personal mission to remove as much waste from the sea as possible.
With his determination, Priyesh was able to extract 3.5 tonnes of plastic waste from the sea in just two months!
Priyesh received formal education only till class 8. His attachment to the sea runs deeper than just for livelihood: he has fervently taken up the cause of cleaning plastic from the sea.
“Last year I started to go for preparatory classes as part of appearing for Class 10 equivalency exam. Sruthi, my teacher there, asked us to write an assignment about what could be done to protect the environment. When everyone wrote about keeping the house and the surroundings clean, I wrote about the need to remove plastic accumulated in the oceans and the seas as that was something I was witnessing personally. After writing it, I thought why I can’t do it and began doing it.”Priyesh KV shared with The News Minute
“For quite some time, I had been observing the sea and thinking about the increase in the presence of plastic and the decrease in the number of fish. On days there is more plastic in the sea, there will be no fish around and our nets would be so full of plastic... When the amount of plastic disappears, more fish will be there,”
Priyesh feels that other fishermen should take initiative to be aware about the ever-increasing plastic waste and take steps to curb the problem.
“While most people think that the waste can be found largely along the shores, the reality is that one can find it in the deeper parts of the ocean as well. It’s not just tourists or passengers cruising on ferries; even fishermen are guilty of throwing plastic bottles that they carry with them to the sea.”Priyesh told The Better India in an interview.
As for what he does with the plastic he collects, well, what we all should do: recycle. Since April, Azhiyur panchayat has also stepped up to help him recycle the plastic he collects from the sea.
(With inputs from The News Minute)
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