Pune: On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Pune Municipal Corporation(PMC) organised a river cleaning drive in collaboration with several NGOs, organisations, and schools and colleges. Over 11,000 volunteers participated in the event.
The initiative was a part of the PMCs ‘Swachh Pune Swachh Bharat’ campaign, wherein 20 spots on the riverbank across Pune were cleaned by the volunteers.
There were around 150-200 volunteers including PMC’s SWAG (Swachhata Warriors and Guards) and those from different organisations at each of the ghats. “We covered the ghats along Mula-Mutha River from Vruddheshwar-Siddheshwar ghat near PMC to Omkareshwar ghat near Jangli Maharaj Road. There were volunteers on Vitthalwadi ghat at Sinhagad Road, the ghat under Rajiv Gandhi bridge at Aundh and the area near the confluence of Mula and Ramnadi in Baner,” said Shailaja Deshpande of Jeevit Nadi.
According to Joint PMC Commissioner and Head of PMC’s Solid Waste Management Dnyaneshwar Molak, 8,272 volunteers and 2,757 students participated in the drive, that was held from 7 am to 10 am.
Along with the cleanliness drive, the volunteers also tried to create awareness amongst the people.
“We reiterated to the people the importance of segregating the garbage before throwing it away. While we collected garbage from the riverside, we asked people to identify the particular items that could have easily contaminated the river,” Deshpande added.
Along with loads of plastic, Deshpande said, a huge amount of organic waste was also picked during the cleanliness drive.
“Because of the recent floods, we found a lot of clothes and other materials like mattresses, pillows, bedsheets, etc. Electronic waste was also found in abundance,” Deshpande added.
Apart from the river cleaning drive, the PMC also conducted an awareness rally, in which 50 auto-rickshaws and two cars participated. A total of 780 government and private schools in the city, wherein 10,920 teachers and parents, and 4,02,558 students took a pledge of cleanliness and plastic ban.
