New Delhi: As part of the Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS), 2023 campaign, the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR) along with National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) organized a cleanliness drive at Chhath Ghat, ITO on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti. Around 1,000 people joined the drive and more than 6,000 kg of waste was collected.
According to an official statement from the Ministry of Jal Shakti, “Taking inspiration from Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s clarion call for ‘Ek Tareekh Ek Ghanta Ek Saath’, and as part of the Swachhata Hi Seva, 2023 campaign, the Department of Water Resources, DoWR along with NMCG organized a cleanliness drive at Chhath Ghat, ITO on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti.”
The DoWR Secretary Debashree Mukherjee, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Director General of National Mission for Clean Ganga G. Asok Kumar along with senior officials participated in the cleanliness drive that began at 10 AM on October 1.
As per the official statement, the Swachhata Pledge was administered to the gathering and participants were also sensitized about the importance of clean rivers through nukkad natak on the ghat. Around 1,000 people joined the drive and more than 6,000 kg of waste was collected.
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Mr. Debashree Mukherjee said that the involvement of communities is crucial to the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign and several NGOs, youth groups, and children participating in the event were inspiring.
She added that the organizations under the Ministry of Jal Shakti were participating in this event, led by NMCG.
Asok Kumar, DG, of NMCG, said that the event was organized as part of the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign and that it would culminate on Gandhi Jayanti which was observed as Swachh Bharat Divas across the country, said the statement.
He informed that cleanliness drives, nukkad nataks, cultural events etc. under Namami Gange and Arth Ganga were organized in the past few days along the ghats of River Ganga and its tributaries in the Ganga Basin states as part of this campaign to make cleanliness a mass movement. He said,
It is the duty of each one of us to keep our rivers and water bodies clean.
Mr Kumar also said that this is also part of the Clean Yamuna campaign being run by NMCG for the 22 km Delhi stretch from the past one-and-a-half year.
The official statement said that organizations of the Ministry of Jal Shakti including the National Water Mission, Central Water Commission, Central Groundwater Board, CSMRS, NWDA etc. also took part in the cleanliness drive.
Officials from Delhi Jal Board (DJB), Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), volunteers from NGOs Tree Craze, YSS, SYA, YPF, FOY, Paryavaran Sanrakshan, Bharatiyam, Saksham Bhoomi Foundation, school and college students, volunteers from Ganga Vichar Manch also joined hands with NMCG to make the event successful, it added.
The focus during the drive remained on freeing the ghat from any kind of solid waste. A similar cleanliness drive was also organised by NGOs at Kalindi Kunj ghat in South Delhi, it said.
Similar events were also organised along the ghats of River Ganga and its tributaries along the Ganga Basin. Ganga Praharis, Ganga Mitras, Ganga Doots, students, officials from district administration, local people etc. took part in the cleanliness drives as part of the Swachhta Hi Sewa campaign, said the statement.
The events were throughout the period of the Swachhta Hi Sewa campaign in states through District Ganga Committees, the district-level arm of NMCG. Ganga Task Force (GTF) also participated in the events Prayagraj, Varanasi and Kanpur, it said.
Swachhta Hi Sewa drives were also undertaken at the Namami Gange Sewage Treatment Plants (Nirmal Jal Kendras) premises in the Ganga Basin by the executing agencies, said the statement.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – theLGBTQ population,indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the currentCOVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water,SanitationandHygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fightmalnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health,adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues likeair pollution,waste management,plastic ban,manual scavengingand sanitation workers andmenstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India wheretoiletsare used andopen defecation free (ODF)status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched byPrime Minister Narendra Modiin 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.
