Mumbai: Sixteen year old junior college student Mulund, Hazel RaikundaliaTo spread awareness about the need for clean oceans for the sake of the environment, we crossed the 14 km sea route from Elephanta Caves to the Gateway of India in 2 hours 45 minutes on Sunday, which was also Children’s Day.
A state level swimming champion who recently passed out Smt. Sulochanadevi Singhania School in Thane, Walnut Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha greeted him when he came out of the water at the gateway. His coach Umesh Utekar lauded his first attempt at long distance swimming.
Talking to Times of India, Hazel said, ‘I wanted to swim from Elephanta to Gateway because I feel strongly about the poor condition of our seas and oceans. A lot of plastic waste, polluting industrial waste and household sludge are thrown into the sea every day, which is not good for the environment. Even when I was swimming today, I had to be careful to avoid floating plastic bottles, waste paper, cardboard boxes and other common waste. It’s very unfortunate.”
He further elaborated: “Our oceans are the origin and engine of all life forms on our planet, yet we unknowingly throw a lot of plastic and chemical waste into them. I know many swimmers who avoid swimming in the open ocean because they see a lot of dirt and pollution. Let us not turn our seas into dump yards.
his proud father, Mitesh Raikundalia, commented: “Within the next two years the hazel wants to swim in the legendary English Channel, which is why it is important to swim locally along the Mumbai coast first. However, the dirty condition of the Arabian Sea prevents many people from staying away. I am happy for the dedication and willingness to swim long distances for my daughter.
Coach Utekar said that the recent phases of lockdown during the pandemic were tough for Hazel as she could not access any swimming pool at that time. However, as things started to improve, he resumed his rigorous training in the pool before making his sea debut.
They were accompanied by pilot boats containing observers, time-keepers, their coaches and family members.
Annually, we dump more than 180 million tons of toxic waste into the ocean. About 8 million metric tons of plastic waste (the equivalent of 57,000 blue whales) are also dumped into the oceans annually. It is apparently also destructive to marine biodiversity.
A state level swimming champion who recently passed out Smt. Sulochanadevi Singhania School in Thane, Walnut Mulund MLA Mihir Kotecha greeted him when he came out of the water at the gateway. His coach Umesh Utekar lauded his first attempt at long distance swimming.
Talking to Times of India, Hazel said, ‘I wanted to swim from Elephanta to Gateway because I feel strongly about the poor condition of our seas and oceans. A lot of plastic waste, polluting industrial waste and household sludge are thrown into the sea every day, which is not good for the environment. Even when I was swimming today, I had to be careful to avoid floating plastic bottles, waste paper, cardboard boxes and other common waste. It’s very unfortunate.”
He further elaborated: “Our oceans are the origin and engine of all life forms on our planet, yet we unknowingly throw a lot of plastic and chemical waste into them. I know many swimmers who avoid swimming in the open ocean because they see a lot of dirt and pollution. Let us not turn our seas into dump yards.
his proud father, Mitesh Raikundalia, commented: “Within the next two years the hazel wants to swim in the legendary English Channel, which is why it is important to swim locally along the Mumbai coast first. However, the dirty condition of the Arabian Sea prevents many people from staying away. I am happy for the dedication and willingness to swim long distances for my daughter.
Coach Utekar said that the recent phases of lockdown during the pandemic were tough for Hazel as she could not access any swimming pool at that time. However, as things started to improve, he resumed his rigorous training in the pool before making his sea debut.
They were accompanied by pilot boats containing observers, time-keepers, their coaches and family members.
Annually, we dump more than 180 million tons of toxic waste into the ocean. About 8 million metric tons of plastic waste (the equivalent of 57,000 blue whales) are also dumped into the oceans annually. It is apparently also destructive to marine biodiversity.
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