Citizens’ ‘emotional connect’ helps Akola river get a new ray of life

NAGPUR: A citizens’ initiative to clean a river in Maharashtra's Akola district has set an example of how an 'emotional connect' can help in the revival of water bodies reeling under pollution. The result: Akola’s Morna river, which was a filthy sight of weeds and other waste till sometime back, is now clean and brimming with water following monsoon rains, the district collector said. The 173-km-long Morna river, a major tributary of Purna river (tributary of Tapti), is the main water source for Akola district, located around 240 km from here. “Around eight km of Morna river passes through Akola city and it was covered with weeds, plastic and solid waste garbage. There are 32 nullahs (drains) through which the city's liquid waste is drained into the river,” Akola’s collector AstikKumar Pandey told PTI. The cleaning of the river was taken up every Saturday from January 13 this year for three months. Print and video advertisements of the campaign were put up on social media and other agencies, he said. The Akola Municipal Corporation provided the basic facilities and equipment for cleaning the river. Pandey recalled that around 8,000 people had gathered at the riveron January 13 and three km of its stretch was cleaned that day itself. “The participation of citizens was motivating for others who joined in later," he said, adding that around 40,000 people lent a helping hand to the initiative. PM Narendra Modi had taken note of the campaign in his ‘Mann ki Baat’ address, said Pandey, who is the collector of Akola since April last year.