Bouddi Solutions along with its local partner and catalyser Y-East have been organising a clean-up and awareness drive at River Ganges every Sunday which started from 1st Sep, 2019.
Lochie Burke (Founder, Bouddi Solutions) is committed to contribute 50% of their profit for cleaning the world major river and they have started with the River Ganges in Kolkata. It is interesting to note that waste pollution in river Ganges is responsible for increase in death numbers of sea creature every year. This initiative would help in stoping the waste in entering the river and saving thousands of sea life.
Pauline Laravoire (Founder, Y-East and Sustainability Director at Techno India Group) sounds positive and hopeful when she said that this clean up drive is not going to end until and unless it makes a sustainable impact around. The plans with the drive are manifolds and it shows in every week determination from the volunteer as well as the local crowd which has been increasing with every passing week.
Every Sunday the drive is planned around 10:00 AM in the morning. Safety instructions are briefed at the beginning and every one is provided with hand gloves and mask to get into the ghat with all the mud and waste. On an average around 40-50kg of waste are collected every week in jute bags.
Once the waste clean up is done (roughly around 90 minutes), all volunteers forms smaller group of 4-5 members and have one on one discussion with local people around and make them understand about the need of such clean up and active participation of all, to make this drive reach its objective
There have been 6 drives conducted till now , including the one on 2nd October which was organised to celebrate Swachh Bharat Diwas on the occasion of 150th Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhiji. Volunteer turned out in huge number on that day (around 60-70) and it showed the enthuasim of Kolkata and its love for river Ganga. A few smaller groups are also getting connected with the drive which is giving the right amount of energy such initiative needs.
Afroz Shah (UN Champion of the Earth), the man behind the biggest beach clean up (Versova Beach) with chapters in Mumbai, Goa, Shilong and has now stepped in Kolkata by supporting Ganges River Clean up initiative. The team had a video call with Afroz on the ghat and he had some very encouraging words for all the volunteer. We will soon have him joining in one of the drive.
This initiative is a much needed drive for our beloved Ganga which we worship and its time that we start taking responsibility for the same. The core team has plans to raise awareness around idol immersion in river Ganga next weekend (12th & 13th October) around various ghats (Detail event schedule below).
As kolkatans and Maa Durga lovers, we should enjoy the puja and then take responsibility of the waste which gets generated after the festivals. We should not dump waste in the river and make it more polluted.
As we also celebrate Dussehra, (A celebration of good prevailing over evils) lets make our river free from Waste (evils) and contribute to the better of our environment.
You can reach out to Enakshi Majumder (Project Manager, Ganges River Cleanup Project at enakshimajumder7@gmail.com or follow us (Inwaster is WMedia Partner of River Ganges Cleanup Project) for more updates on the project.