The Alappuzha district administration is set to launch a major plastic cleaning campaign as part of the Vembanad lake rejuvenation project. The initiative to promote a plastic-free Vembanad was finalised during a recent meeting chaired by District Collector Alex Varghese. Scheduled for January, the campaign is an integral part of the district administration’s ongoing efforts to rejuvenate and protect the lake, a Ramsar site and India’s second-largest wetland system. The first phase will focus on identifying 10 hotspots for intensive cleaning drives. Cleaning activities will take place in all grama panchayats within the Vembanad lake region in a phased manner, an official stated. The campaign will involve local self-government bodies, the fisher community, voluntary organisations, Haritha Keralam Mission, Kudumbashree members, Haritha Karma Sena, ex-servicemen, environmentalists, and students. In addition to plastic waste collection, the administration is planning a project to create value-added products from water hyacinths and other aquatic weeds. Other activities under the lake rejuvenation plan include establishing a bio-shield, creating a Vembanad lake Interpretation Centre, setting up a yarn museum, installing bottle booths, promoting community tourism, and restocking fish seeds. Awareness programs will be conducted for fishermen, houseboat employees, owners, and residents living along the shores of Vembanad lake to educate them on the importance of preserving the water body. Local-level meetings will be held to ensure the success of the campaign. A 2023 study by the Centre for Aquatic Resource Management and Conservation, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, revealed the significant degradation of the Vembanad wetland system. The report noted the deteriorating state of the lake, which is impacting the lives and livelihoods of approximately eight million people in Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts. The water retention capacity of the lake has diminished by 85.3%, from 2,617.5 million cubic metres in 1990 to 384.66 million cubic metres in 2020. Key participants in the meeting included H. Salam, MLA; Alappuzha District Panchayat Development Standing Committee chairperson Binu Isaac Raju; Additional District Magistrate Asha C. Abraham; K.G. Padmakumar, director of the International Research and Training Centre for Below Sea Level Farming, Kuttanad; G. Nagendra Prabhu, head of the Post Graduate Department of Zoology and Research Centre at Sanatana Dharma College, Alappuzha; and others.