RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: When a close relative of TK Visweswara Reddy, a retired employee of Andhra Paper Mills, passed away last year, the children of the deceased went to Kotilingala bathing ghat on River Godavari to perform some rituals. They found the ghat in a sorry state and discussed it with Reddy, also an educationist and social activist.
They wondered how a sacred river, where people offered ‘pinda pradanam’, could be so untidy with its precincts lacking proper sanitation and hygiene.
The pathetic state of the ghat made Reddy establish the Godavari Parirakshana Samithi (GPS) in a bid to do his bit for cleaning the river. The organisation made it a fortnightly affair to clean the ghats and river by involving students, municipal staff and even the monks and sadhus who live near the ghats.
“We take holy dips in the river and offer pujas to the river Goddess. But we are careless about keeping the ghats clean. It is a pity that we forget to keep the bathing ghats and river banks clean, Reddy told TNIE.”
Stating that youngsters have been expressing dismay at the lack of maintenance of the ghat, Reddy said that waste generated from rituals performed, cigarettes butts, liquor bottles, hair, broken bangles, and other plastic waste could be found at the ghats.
“This is why I decided to take up the cleaning of Godavari as part of my contribution,” Reddy said. Born in Penumantra village, West Godavari, Reddy studied B.Tech at Andhra University. Reddy had worked as a technical officer at Andhra Paper Mills in Rajamahendravaram for more than 28 years.
He founded Rajamahendri Women’s Degree College and other schools. At the age of 64, Reddy realised the need for cleaning Godavari. He then formed the Godavari Parirakshna Samithi in June 2021 with the aim to save Godavari from pollution by cleaning bathing ghats. MLAs and MPs were consulted to help his endeavour and he got the required support.
There are 12 bathing ghats in Rajamahendravaram. Every day hundreds of pilgrims take a holy dip in the river while some offer ‘pinda pradanam’ to their ancestors. Yet, there is no system to remove the waste after bathing and performing rituals.
Stating that India is one of the most vulnerable countries in terms of climate change, water, air and environmental pollution, the social activist said rivers are complex and dynamic systems and hence need regular monitoring at various sites to get a sense of their health.
Untreated waste from APP mills, hospitals and households is discharged into River Godavari. The APP Mills drain and Nalla Channel at Aryapuram is a major contributor of untreated wastewater in the city.
The level of dissolved oxygen in the river is below the acceptable mark, thereby creating an unhealthy environment for fish and other species to thrive.
Reddy urged the State and Centre to take concrete steps to prevent the disposal of effluents and waste into Godavari. He warned that the day is not far when the river will turn into a drain. He further explained that pollution levels in rivers could be reduced by controlling effluents flowing into them. While zero discharge norms exist in India, Reddy stressed that empowering regulatory bodies to implement them and penalising violators is the need of the hour.
Elaborating on the process they follow, GPS chairperson said, “As many 200 NSS volunteers join the drive from dawn to dusk. We rope in beggars and street-side monks in the drive. Our organisation also feeds them,” Reddy added.
It is a relentless programme. Every fortnight we choose one bathing ghat and clean it. It is a gigantic task.One person cannot clean up an entire river. Participation of the government and society is required in such programmes. Reddy vowed to continue cleaning River Godavari within available limited resources.