VIJAYAWADA: In a bid to protect the Krishna river bed from sand-mining mafia and defecation, members of Amaravati Walkers and Runners Association (AWARA) organised the ‘Rally on the River’, a 5 km marathon at the river bed stretch near Kanakadurga Varadhi on Sunday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Kranti Rana Tata flagged off the rally and planted a sapling on the river bed. Over 50 volunteers took part in the rally. Most of them were youth, senior citizens and women who cleaned up the waste littered along the river embankment.
Speaking on the occasion, Kranti Rana Tata underlined the need for protecting Krishna river which determines the sustenance of lakhs of people. He lauded the mass efforts of AWARA for taking up the cleaning campaign in Krishna river. As part of the rally, Rana also carried a bag and collected the wastes found on the river bed. He also presented saplings as an appreciation for the AWARA members for taking up the noble cause.
“It was a voluntary effort. We found that over the years people are indiscriminately turning the Krishna river bed into a dumping yard,” said Professor Ajay Katragadda, founder of AWARA.
The river is full of vegetation and even if there are floods, water does not seep into the river bed. Therefore, the cleaning of the River Krishna is vital for the conservation of water resources,he said. “After a few cleaning sessions of the river, we will place a proposal before the State government to promote plantation across the river bed and turn the place into a favourite spot for residents of Vijayawada,” he added.