KARWAR: On a cool Saturday morning in January 2015, a car pulled up in front of the Karwar Bus Terminus, which was then looked down upon as the most unhygienic spot in the scenic seaside town. Then Deputy Commissioner of Uttara Kannada district, Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, emerged from the vehicle, which interestingly did not have a beacon. Was there a programme planned in the vicinity? Was he there for an inspection? A barrage of such questions struck the minds of puzzled onlookers.
The senior official met a group of people waiting for him, who were all private individuals from different walks of life. Then, all of them did something extraordinary -- they started tidying up the bus stand and its surroundings. The DC personally cleaned up the area and even removed a carcass of a dead dog lying there. This is a glimpse of how the Pahare Forum of People, which played a crucial role in ‘Clean Karwar’, came into existence.
Ghosh left Karwar nearly four years ago, but the work he initiated is being carried forward. Pahare, the brainchild of Karwar-based advocate Nagraj Nayak, aims at ensuring cleanliness of the coastal town. Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Nayak brought like-minded citizens together, who embarked on a weekly cleanliness mission. The group decides upon a place around the city to clean each Saturday morning.
“Karwar, with a population of under 1 lakh, is bestowed with natural beauty, with the Arabian Sea on one side and the Western Ghats on the other. Its rich history is vividly maintained, with a fort at Sadashivgad, built by Maratha chieftain Sadashiv Raya Naik. During the British Raj, Satyendranath Tagore, brother of Rabindranath Tagore, was a judge here and the iconic poet stayed here for months,” informs Nayak, who is also Pahare’s president.
“Though it draws a lot of tourists, Karwar is neglected. Everything was fine here until the plastic was started being used widely. Tourists carry evermore plastic and dump it here. Unfortunately, there is no disposal mechanism in place,” he rues.
Elucidating the environmental threat with an example, Thimmappa Harikanthra, a journalist and Pahare member, explains, “Kone Nala, a rivulet, was once a beautiful water body, where we would go boating. Today, it is polluted because of anthropogenic pressure.”
Though Pahare started as a thinkers’ group, involving people from the judiciary, business and government service, to create awareness about corruption and bring in transparency way back in 2003, it was largely driven by its cleanliness initiative, which is now managed by over 300 members.
“People work here without payment or appreciation. Neither any of the core members nor me take the centrestage. We put out the word about a weekend abhiyan, and people arrive at the spot on their own. Initially, we visited temples and maths. The authorities there were impressed and joined us,” says Nayak. So far, the group has cleaned up roads, drains, ponds, beaches, temples, and maths. To motivate the members, Pahare invites celebrities and citizens, who have unconditionally served society, to join them on every 25th week. Luminaries, including Salumarada Thimmakka, Sukri Bommagowda, Suresh Heblikar, Tulasi Gowda, Ibrahim Sutar, Kavitha Sharma, Arun Sagar and pontiff of Chitradurga’s Sri Murugha Math Sri Shivamurthy Murugha Sharanaru have participated in their programmes.
The cleanliness drive that was primarily limited to Karwar city has now been extended to other parts of Uttara Kannada district, including villages. ”Recently, we went to Brahmur, Thorke and Aggargolu. During such visits, we take locals as volunteers,” says Khairunissa Shaikh, a member.
Six years of service
Karwar’s sparkling streets are now mostly free of garbage and people are aware. “We distributed handbills requesting citizens to reduce garbage and use of plastic. We pressured the municipality to stop indiscriminate disposal of waste. We started awarding people, who were not even Pahare members, for their contribution. In due course, Karwar was adjudged the cleanest city in the country under the category -- City with less than a population of 1 lakh,” says Nayak. Pahare’s members, meanwhile, vow to remain steadfast as long as garbage and plastic remain a bane for their beloved seaside paradise.
Authorities inspired
Pahare has inspired the Karwar Municipality, too, which is now disposing of waste in a scientific
manner. It converts wet waste into compost, recycles plastic and incinerates glass pieces
Perils of tourism
Though the group cleans up the Kali River, the beach and other spots, tourists end up disposing of food waste, plastic bottles and beer cans wherever they camp. The group has requested the Tourism Department to monitor such places. Meanwhile, Pahare set an example by planting 580 trees in Karwar town, watering and protecting them. They have also begun a movement to protect the Gangavali and Vibuthe rivers by creating awareness among people