Idols to slippers: 100kg of waste removed from Yamuna banks

Time of India

4 days ago

Noida: About 50 volunteers of YSS Foundation, a local social body, in collaboration with the GB Nagar district Ganga Committee, Noida Authority, and various civil society organisations, cleaned the banks of the Yamuna near Chhath ghat in Sector 94 to mark World Environment Day.
The campaign, which was conducted under the guidance of the district forest department, collected over 100kg of waste across nearly 500 metres along the Yamuna bank, including single-use plastic, idols, clothes, shoes, slippers, school bags, and jute baskets. These were loaded onto a tractor and disposed of at Authority-designated dumpsites.
The day also coincided with Ganga Dussehra this year, a festival celebrating the descent of the Ganges, hence, the programme began with a spiritual Yamuna Aarti accompanied by Vedic chanting, spreading the message of cleanliness, river conservation, and ecological consciousness.
"Apart from puja material, the maximum waste collected was in the form of single-use plastic and wrappers of chips, corn, and other snacks. Other than these, there were household items and even electronic stuff like earphones, shoes, slippers, school bags, jute baskets and salt packets," Sachin Gupta, director of YSS Foundation, said.
Indu Prakash, OSD at Noida Authority, called plastic pollution a "demon" that impacts not just nature but also mental, physical, and economic health. He hailed sanitation workers and volunteers as the real heroes of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
On the occasion, all participants also took a pledge to protect the Yamuna River, promote its cleanliness and conservation, and commit to a plastic-free lifestyle.