Trained volunteers educating masses on Ganga cleaning

They will visit every house in villages along the Ganga in Kashi, adjoining districts

VARANASI: An army of 300 trained ‘Ganga mitras’ (friends of the Ganga river) is on a mission to educate masses about the importance of the Ganga and how they can contribute in ensuring its cleanliness.

Their task include visiting every house in villages located along the Ganga in Varanasi and adjoining districts to spread awareness on Ganga cleaning. They also visit schools where they urge teachers and students to join hands for the mission.

Also, they call on farmers, students and commoners alike, urging them to not dump any waste, including flowers and ash, into the river.

“Three hundred people have been trained as eco-skilled Ganga mitras in a span of one year to induce empathy for the Ganga among the masses. The first batch of 100 people underwent training at our centre for three months till February 2018. The second batch was imparted training from March to May 2019 and the third one from November 2019 to January 2020,” said Prof BD Tripathi, who heads Mahamana Malviya Research Centre for Ganga, River Development and Water Resource Management, BHU.

“Those who underwent the training include students, farmers, vegetable growers and housewives from the villages along the river in Varanasi and adjoining districts,” he said.

“During the training, different aspects, including socio-economic and religious significance of the Ganga, are discussed.

Experts tell them about different trees like guava, acacia, mahua, indigo which grow well along the Ganga. They are given tips about communication skills and how to educate masses on Gang a cleaning ,” Trip at hi added. “They are also asked to motivate

locals for planting saplings of these trees,” he said adding, “The Ganga mitras also get an idea about different equipment used for water quality monitoring and testing. They are also given live demonstration of Ganga water quality monitoring during the training.”

“Each Ganga mitra is given a uniform, a bag and ₹4,500 for undergoing the training,” he said.

“The Ganga is important for 4.5 million people living in the Ganga basin. The river nurtures diversity and provides water to the crops grown in the fields along,” Tripathi said.

“I underwent the training to become a Ganga mitra where experts told us about the significance of the river and its impact on day-to-day life of people and how it helps many earn a living,” said Mahendra Kumar Singh, a ‘Ganga mitra’.