Assam Police issuing an advisory on road safety during picnic season is a laudable initiative. Giving wider publicity to the list of Dos and Don’ts
is critical to the advisory serving the purpose. Since most picnic sites in the state are located near riverbanks, wetlands and other natural landscapes, it is also essential for picnic teams to observe cleanliness and refrain from littering and polluting the picnic sites to prevent environmental damage. Neighbourhood committees of some picnic sites issue advisories for picnic teams for maintenance of cleanliness, but in many sites which are a bit away from human settlements, some irresponsible groups are often seen littering and leaving the waste behind. Growing plastic pollution at some of the ecologically fragile picnic sites in the state is a cause for grave concern which cannot be addressed by merely issuing advisories or running awareness campaigns. Picnic teams leave the sites after enjoying the natural beauty of the sites, feasting by the riverbank or wetland, but plastic waste contamination of waterbodies seriously affects ecosystem services of the natural landscape in which the picnic spots are located. As a result, local communities which rely on ecosystem services of these natural landscapes for agriculture, clean water for household use, water for irrigation of their cropland, fishing and rearing livestock are also adversely affected by such environmental damage caused by the reckless behaviour of some picnic groups. Plastic contamination of waterbodies at picnic sites is primarily caused by the dumping of Single Use Plastics (SUP), such as water bottles, polythene packets of prohibited thickness used in carrying vegetables and other food items, serving plates/cups made of thermocol/styrofoam, etc. Apart from the failure of the people to adopt the behavioural change to use eco-friendly alternatives, the blame also goes to the failure of the administration to effectively enforce the ban on the use of SUP, as this has allowed the circulation of the plastics of prohibited thickness across the state. Ironically, nearly three years and six months have elapsed since the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules came into effect in 2022, prohibiting the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of the identified SUP items, which have low utility and high littering potential. There's widespread circulation of SUPs at marketplaces and shops, not just in Guwahati city and various towns but also across villages, as seizure of banned items has been reduced to mere statistics of occasional inspections. Stepping up inspection drives and seizures of banned SUP items can significantly reduce plastic pollution at picnic sites, as the groups would then be compelled to explore alternatives for carrying raw vegetables, meat, fish and other food items when the single-use plastic carry bags are not available in the market. The Assam government exercised powers delegated to the state government under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, to prohibit the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of plastic water bottles below 1000 ml capacity. The onus of ensuring that plastic water bottles of 1000 ml or more capacity are not dumped in water bodies, be it in a neighbourhood in a city or a village, or a picnic site or any natural landscape including rivers, wetlands and other water bodies, lies on people. Finding alternatives to plastic use by picnic groups is easier, as they just have to ask community elders how they enjoyed picnics when plastic carry bags or plastic water bottles were neither used at homes nor available in the markets. Use of ecofriendly alternatives such as plantain leaves to replace thermocol/styrofoam serving plates and cloth bags for carrying food and other items by picnic groups can also help build awareness of the feasibility and importance of plastic alternatives among children and adult members in the community. The Assam Pollution Control Board (APCB), the Forest Department, and the office of the Commissioner of Food Safety can leverage the opportunity of building awareness on the SUP ban by reaching out to picnic groups across the state. As road accidents tend to increase during winter due to lack of alertness among road users during foggy weather, which also coincides with picnic season in the state, the APCB and different state government departments can tie up with Assam Police to issue a combined advisory on road safety and plastic pollution at picnic sites ahead of the onset of picnic season, which can help increase the reach of the awareness campaign. Empowering local communities to remain vigilant against littering of picnic sites and plastic pollution is essential to prevent contamination of water bodies and other natural ecosystems. Issuing an advisory and notification of prohibited activities can be effective only when people are willing to undertake the behavioural change. Prohibited plastic carry bags are circulating in shops and markets only because there is persistent consumer demand. This picnic season brings another opportunity to make road travel safer and raise awareness against plastic pollution to conserve fragile ecosystems, which must not be missed.