Campaign for pollution-free Tumakuru

The call to save the environment has grown louder after Green Peace India released a report which stated that the air pollution has reached alarming levels in Bengaluru and Tumakuru. Various environmental organisations are attempting to educate the public that a heavy price  would have to be paid if the pollution is not brought under control at the earliest.

Signa Yuva Samvada Kendra, Vignana Kendra and Yuva Munnade organisations have taken a step in this regard. They have launched a campaign with the slogans ‘Stop pollution in Tumakuru’ and ‘Pollution-free clean green Tumakuru.’

As many as 50 volunteers are actively working for the campaign. The campaign is utilising social media effectively for the campaign. With people increasingly setting fire to garbage in the city, the toxic chemicals are rapidly entering the atmosphere. After the Green Peace report was published, the volunteers uploaded pictures of burning garbage on Facebook. This drew the attention of the then deputy mayor Nagaraju who promised that suitable action will be taken against those guilty.

He had also held a meeting with engineers of the environment division of the Mahanagara Palike. Environment-related photos and posts are regularly uploaded on the Facebook page ‘Clean Tumakuru.’ Two Whatsapp groups ‘Hasiru Tumakuru’ and ‘Namma Tumakuru’ have also been created. The members of these groups are formulating an action plan to raise awareness about pollution control.

“We are submitting a  proposal to the officials of the Smart City scheme and the district administration for the installation of devices on major roads to measure the air pollution levels,” said Jnanasindhu Swamy of Signa Yuva Samvada Kendra.

Tree mapping
The volunteers are collecting information about how many trees grow in the city, how many have been cut down and the reason for them being felled. 

Under the ‘Nanna Mara’ campaign, saplings are being distributed to people for adoption along with instructions on taking care of them.

“Along with submission of memoranda and official campaigns, we should create awareness among the people by reaching out to them. We have just begun now and are confident that we will receive a positive response from the public,” Swamy told DH.