Plantation along road dividers and footpaths across the city had been adpoted by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to reduce pollution and make city green, however the purpose has been unsolved as civic sense among citizens is creating hurdle in the project. Mindless dumping of single use plastic and garbage on road dividers by citizens, specially road side vendors and weekly markets, is raising serious environmental and health concerns. Many people say that the issue is worsening due to careless behaviour by citizens and poor solid waste management in city. “People throw plastic waste and bottles while passing by, vegetable and fruit vendors also dump garbage directly on road sides or on dividers on daily basis.

 

Within days, the footpaths and dividers look like garbage spots, instead of green patches. I clean the place every week but when I see it again the next time, it is filled with garbage,” said Shankar, a sanitation worker while interacting with The Hitavada. More concerning is the fact that despite him sweeping the area regularly, plastic waste and garbage gathers there again within hours. It shows the scale of civic apathy on the parts of residents and locals as well. Because of plastic waste choking and poisoning the soil, many plants do not even survive, claimed green activist Anasuya Kale Chhabrani. Chhabrani highlighted that microplastics formed from degraded plastic further worsen the situation by reducing soil fertility and water retention.

 

Toxic chemicals released seep into the soil, affecting plant health and disrupting urban ecosystem. She also stressed the need for stricter monitoring and public awareness. “Plantation alone is not enough. Protecting these plants are equally important,” she emphasised. Dr Nirbhay Kumar, Doctor of Medicine (MD), Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancre-atography (MRCP), and Senior Divisional Medical Officer, Physician, shares that walking through a local parks or along the roadside, a discarded plastic waste might seem like a minor eyesore. However, beneath the surface, a slow-motion environmental crisis is unfolding. Plastic litter is no longer just a ‘clean up’ issue, it is a direct threat to the health and survival of our local vegetation. Small consistent efforts at the individual level can collectively restore and protect these fragile green spaces.