Sumaira Abdulali, 61, an environmental activist, has been raising her voice against sand mining and noise pollution. She is the founder of NGO Awaaz Foundation. She has also formed the "Movement against Intimidation, Threat and Revenge against Activists (MITRA)," an NGO movement for the safety of public interest activists. She participated in the first round table of GRID - the Geneva United Nations Environment Programme and gave her inputs to their first report, ‘Sand and Sustainability: Finding new solutions for environmental governance of global sand resources.’ In an exclusive interview with Asian Voice, she spoke about her involvement in taking positive action against climate change.
While talking about beginning of her journey, Sumaira said, “it all started when I witnessed an illegal sand mining operation close to my ancestral home. I created a movement to raise awareness among the urban population in order to bring this issue to public attention.” To minimise the problem of noise pollution "I engage in public interest litigation (PIL) at the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court. I gather quantifiable information for PIL regarding noise levels, public complaints, independent oversight of statutory bodies, and on-the-ground evidence that has aided in the success of various legal actions against noise violators, she stated.
Discussing about Mumbai becoming second most polluted city globally as per Swiss air tracking index IQ air between January 29th and February 8th, she remarked that “The government is providing solutions to confront and contribute regarding poor IQ air, but it is high time to apply new and strict methods. Buildings are constantly being constructed and demolished in the city, which generates a lot of dust that eventually becomes intolerable to breathe and contributes to air pollution. In order to prevent the creation of dust on days with strong winds, the government should construct water sprays and use green curtains, among other things.”
Creating awareness among public
Since more than a decade, Abdulali is raising her voice against the environmental issues that negatively impacts our climate. “There were no social media platforms when I first began organising the public movement. So I filed petitions in the court which attracted media attention and as a result, people began to become aware of the issues.”
In order to assist people recognise the importance of environmental concerns, she said, "I now use social media, give speeches at educational institutions, and write columns.”
Future plans
Talking about her latest plans, she said, "I'm currently focusing more on noise pollution and illegal sand mining. In addition to that, I am concentrating on issues relating to climate change, air pollution, and animal protection. At the moment, I'm writing a book on the experiences I had during the movement, remedies to lessen the environmental problems, and public interest lawsuits I have filed. However, I’m still at first draft.”