Plastic water pouches banned in Gujarat's Rajkot from June 5

Plastic water pouches will be banned on public roads, gardens and government offices from tomorrow, coinciding with the World Environment Day.

The theme for this year's World Environment Day is "Beat Plastic Pollution".

A release from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation today stated that the civic chief had ordered a ban on the sale and use of water pouches, starting tomorrow, on 48 public roads, gardens and government offices under section 376 of the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporation Act, 1949.

"People tend to throw water pouches on the roads after use, which ends up choking drainage lines," the release stated, adding that it in turn creates health problems due to drain water spilling out into the open.

The civic body release said that violators of this ban would be penalised under section 376 of the BPMC Act, and if required, under section 133 of the Criminal Procedure Code which empowers a magistrate to pass an order for "removal of nuisance".

The state government, to mark World Environment Day tomorrow, will also hold a week-long environment and cleanliness drive by educating people in 100 villages, spread across 15 districts, on plastic waste recycling, a release said.

Reduction in the use of plastic and awareness on its recycling and re-use will be taken up in these 100 villages, which are recognised by the state's Rural Development Ministry as "rurban" areas.

Public spaces in these villages, including the main entrances, religious places, main roads and markets will be cleared of plastic waste and other recycled products, it stated.

During the week-long drive, people would be shown the micro compost process to make fertilisers and demonstrations would be organised in the use of shredding machines to dispose of plastic waste among other things, it said.