Eco-tourism, nature trails, jungle safaris and wildlife tourism have not only brought tourists in droves to the Nallamala Reserve Forests, but also the menace of plastic pollution. And the local ‘green warriors’, who call themselves Swatch Sevaks, have taken it upon themselves to make the Nallamala Range, a part of the Eastern Ghats that divides Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra Pradesh, free of plastic.
With an aim to conserve the flora and fauna of these green zones, the native Chenchu tribals have been roped in for a drive. The tribal youths walk or cycle a stretch of two km each and pick up the plastic or other non-biodegradable material discarded by the tourists on the State and National Highways that crisscross the Nallamala Reserve Forest.
Nestled in the forest is the Bhramarambha Mallikarjuna Swamy temple at Srisailam, which draws thousands of devotees on a daily basis and the pollution is growing keeping a pace with the inreasing tourist count.
