Three sub-adult tigers (Panthera tigris) in the Dhikala range of Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand were seen playing with and biting into a large plastic bucket in the Ramganga River.
Even though the use of plastic is banned in tiger reserves, the problem of plastic pollution persists. In this instance, park officials suspect that this bucket was likely disposed of from one of the villages along the river. This highlights the need for a better solid-waste management system in villages close to Protected Areas so that harmful waste does not end up in water bodies, which are often used by wild animals for consumption.
In 2015, the National Green Tribunal banned the use of plastic bottles, PET bottles, multilayered plastics used for packaging, and the eventual phasing out of polyethylene for all non-essential items. This was done in a bid to check further pollution of the Ganga and its tributaries.
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There is a need for a better solid-waste management system in towns and villages close to Protected Areas so that harmful waste does not end up in water bodies, which are often used by wild animals for consumption.