Inspired by the initiative taken up by the citizens of Mumbai to clean up Juhu beach post Ganpati Visarjan, two sisters from Guwahati have taken the initiative to clean Brahmaputra Ghat after Dashami in Guwahati.
The two sisters, Pooja Poddar and Isha Poddar will be starting the cleanliness drive from MG Road, Brahmaputra Ghat Kinar at 3pm on the 2nd of October. Talking to G Plus about the initiative, Isha informed, “Since it is an environmental friendly project, we plan to segregate the biodegradable and non biodegradable objects, including the dresses, jewellery and plastic wrappers. For that, we’ll be providing everyone with gloves, brooms and other materials required to clean up the area properly.”
While the Sukreshwar Ghat in Guwahati is one of the greatest attractions of the city, it is also one of the most polluted areas, especially after the festival of Durga Puja when so many idols are immersed in the river every year. So, it is the citizens who have come forward to clean up the Ghat this year.
Sukreshwar ghat is one of the most favoured spots for visarjan, being one of the four major spots for visarjan in the city. This small step towards protecting the environment being taken up by the duo cannot make an impact unless more and more people join them in the drive. In order to garner attention, the sisters posted about their initiative on social media and have been receiving great response ever since. Isha informed us that so far, around 40 people have assured their presence, including a city based NGO.
“We wish that more people take up similar initiatives. Since we’re not an organisation and we’re not collaborating with anyone, we won’t be able to clean all the Ghats. We’re only focussing on the Sukreshwar Ghat. But others can also take the initiative to clean the remaining major areas of immersion like Kachari, Bharalumukh and Pandu,” Isha said.