ITANAGAR, May 22: Coinciding with the International Day for Biological Diversity, a few organizations in Arunachal Pradesh capital on Wednesday cleaned a stretch of the Yagamso River here and removed nearly 3.5 metric tonnes of garbage.
Over 80 volunteers participated in the extensive clean-up drive at the Division-IV stretch of the river.
The cleaning effort was a collaborative effort between the All Abotani Colony Welfare Association (AACWA), NGOs - Youth Mission for Clean River (YMCR) and Abralow Memorial Multipurpose Society which was supported by the Itanagar Smart City Development Corporation.
Itanagar Municipal Corporation Ward No 6 Corporator Gyamar Taz, who took part, emphasised the critical importance of maintaining clean rivers and a healthy ecosystem.
"Clean rivers are the lifelines of our ecosystem. We must protect our rivers," Taz said urging the residents to refrain from dumping waste into the river. He said IMC trucks collect garbage door-to-door daily.
Taz also called for waste segregation at home to minimize the amount of garbage sent to Hollongi dumping ground and commended the enthusiastic participation of the ward's youth and public assuring continuous support to YMCR's future environmental initiatives.
AACWA president Tamchi Kame echoed Taz saying maintaining a clean colony is a collective responsibility.
"It is not just up to the IMC or the government; every resident, tenant, shopkeeper, and permanent resident must contribute," he asserted.
YMCR chairman S D Loda expressed gratitude for the support from Taz and his team and said the NGO aims to raise grassroots awareness on environment protection through regular campaigns.
He also suggested reducing the use of single-use plastic products.
YMCR vice chairman Keyom Doni thanked the volunteers and announced a mega cleaning and plantation drive on June 5 to celebrate World Environment Day.