Uttarakhand Initiates Citizen Movement To Clean Rivers

The central government on September 27 launched the Swachhata Pakhwada- Swachhata Hi Seva 2023 campaign. The campaign invites public participation and mobilisation to carry out cleanliness drives and sanitation drives during the fortnight-long event to drive the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in the 105 th episode of his Mann Ki Baat programme had called upon the people to join the ek tareekh, ek ghanta, ek sath cleanliness drive on 1st October 2023.

According to a press statement released by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs on September 27, over seven crore citizens responded to the call to join the Swacchata Hi Seva campaign.

The main objective of the campaign is to raise awareness amongst the citizens about the importance of rivers and how they ought to be protected and conserved for the coming generations. Since most of the rivers originate in Uttarakhand, the responsibility of the citizens here is far greater in keeping their rivers clean and uninterrupted right from their sources.

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Rivers form the primary source of freshwater and are thus essential to sustain human life. And, that it was the duty of the inhabitants of the planet to protect water bodies, especially rivers in order to survive.

Under the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign, urban local bodies in Uttarakhand organised a river cleaning drive on the World River Day on September 24. The campaign was called ‘Clean rivers: An opportunity for a better tomorrow’.

According to the press release, on that day 10, 000 citizen volunteers from across the state carried out cleanliness and awareness drives at river ghats, banks, amrit sarovars, nallahs, lakes and other water bodies. People gathered at water bodies such as the Bhagirathi, Alaknanda, Nandakini, Ramganga and Saryu rivers, and cleaned up the garbage on their banks.

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Over a 100 garbage vulnerable points (GVPs)were cleaned. Nets were placed/replaced over 60 drains that flowed into rivers, twin bins were placed at 375 spots, more than 2000 kgs of wet waste and 6,200 kgs of dry waste were collected by the volunteers.