Anshu Gupta

A street flooded with plastic waste in the aftermath of Kashmir floods in 2014.

The floods took approximately 277 lives in India and 280 lives in Pakistan were lost. About 50 bridges were reported to have been damaged across the state and a preliminary assessment estimated infrastructural damages between INR 5000 cr to INR 6000 cr*.

15-20 years back when the plastic water bottles came into being, it was hailed as a big innovation and a game changer for mankind. It was being sold as safe drinking water, portable water. Ironically, plastic bottles and their disposal is the biggest problem being faced across the world in todays time. Even at the time of a disaster, the unrecyclable debris that you see floating about in the aftermath of a disaster is a common sight. They act as a reminder as to how sometimes certain innovations can prove to be biggest curse for the life of the planet.

Read more