Bhimavaram: West Godavari district collector Chadalawada Nagarani said that in addition to planting trees to improve greenery, efforts are being made to control plastic pollution.

On Thursday, to celebrate World Environment Day, a large-scale programme was taken up in the district to plant saplings and remove plastic waste from canals and drains under ‘Vanam-Manam.’

As part of this, collector Nagarani, District Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi, district Joint Collector T Rahul Kumar Reddy, DRO Mogili Venkateswarlu, and district officials from various departments enthusiastically participated in the sapling planting programme at Collectorate here.

Later, collector Nagarani participated in the programme to remove plastic waste along the Vissakoderu canal and on the footpaths at the overpass on JP Road. She inspected the waste removal work being done in the canals under the auspices of the Irrigation Department and made several suggestions to the irrigation officials. As part of the waste removal, the soil placed on the banks was ordered to be moved to another area in a day or two. She ordered that the waste removal work in the four main canals in Bhimavaram town be completed on a war footing.

She advised the municipal and police officials not to allow coconut shells along the canal banks under any circumstances and that action should be taken against this.

Speaking on the occasion, collector Nagarani said that a programme to plant 3.85 lakh saplings has been started across the district as part of World Environment Day. Preparations have been made for planting saplings in government offices, places, roads, along the canal banks and panchayat places.

She asked the people to be partners in this and to bring about a change in the climate by planting saplings in the house premises and in open spaces outside. She said that nurseries have been developed in Venkataramannagudem, Seetharampuram and Konithivada villages of the district under the supervision of the Forest Department. She said that plants are the oxygen for humans and it is everyone’s responsibility to plant trees in large numbers.

She said that staff from all departments took part to remove waste in the canals. District Additional SP V Bhima Rao, District Forest Officer D Asha Kiran, and others participated in the programme.