Green volunteers clean up river

10 tractor loads of waste removed from water

Volunteers from Save Our Earth Club.org, an environmental protection organisation from Hunsur and people of Nanjangud gathered on the banks of river Kapila at 7 am on Sunday, got into water and cleaned up the muck that had collected underwater at the bathing ghat near Nanjundeswara temple.

The group of 56 persons is headed by Hunsur Sanjay, Vasanthkumar Msoremath, environmental advisor and Shaw, secretary to the club and Bhanu Mohan from Mysore. 

They were joined by 10 volunteers from Mysore, town municipal council president Cheluvaraju, standing committee chairman Khalid Ahmed, TMC former presidents, vice-presidents, a few Rotarians, members of Sri Kapileswara Kapila Coracle Boatsmen Development Association.

About 10 tractor loads of cloth, plastic, muck and garbage were removed. The people expressed concern about pollution in the river and complained that the local authorities were totally callous about their duties and responsibilities. 

They said they felt ashamed that environmentalists from neighbouring towns had to come to clean up the river.

The volunteers said a committee of people from all civil society organisations in Nanjangud can be formed to formulate a plan of action to protect water and present it to the deputy commissioner, and chief minister for implementation after consultation with the Coracle Owners Association.

The temple authorities were urged to provide small tanks on the banks for the benefit of pilgrims to deposit soiled clothes, flowers and pooja articles and also to put up boards to educate the public about the ill-effects of polluting water bodies.