The Versova Beach in Mumbai has been covered in ankle deep trash for years, but volunteers have stepped up recently to clean up the mess. The United Nations has called the clean up of the beach the “world’s largest beach cleanup project” ever. The volunteers who cleaned up the beach were recently rewarded for their efforts.

Sea turtles used to hatch on the beach but haven’t for ages because of the filthy condition of the beach. This year, however, for the first time in 20 years, Olive Ridley sea turtles have returned to the beach and volunteers got to watch something extraordinary happen as a result of their efforts.

The turtle is classified as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to environmental pollution that is common on shores. Unfortunately, Versova Beach isn’t the only beach that has been in bad condition.

The Olive Ridley sea turtle is the most common, and smallest, sea turtle, and all of the species are threatened by pollution and human encroachment. The activists who worked tirelessly to clean up the beach are thrilled to see the return of the turtles to Versova Beach.

Afroz Shah, who was one of the activists that organized the cleanup of the beach, says farmers that live near the beach reported seeing adult sea turtles returning to the beach. Activists began to anticipate the event knowing that the turtles come to the beach to lay their eggs in the sand.

Sure enough, on Thursday, volunteers began noticing hatchlings making their way across the sand to the sea. With the help of the Forest Department, volunteers rushed to the beach to protect the 80 hatchlings that were on their way to the water.

Shah says he literally had tears in his eyes as he watched the babies making their journey. Capturing the moment was a huge boon for the volunteers who had worked so hard to restore the beach. The volunteers have faced a lot of ridicule and harassment for their efforts, but their reward made it worth it.

Shah believes that there is a lack of connection between the people and the city and their natural environment. He feels like they lack a sense of belonging and that’s what lead to the pollution. He hopes that seeing the turtles return to the beach will encourage people to band together and make a permanent change.