On Mother’s Day, citizens of north Indian temple town pitch in to help clean the Ganges

On Mother's Day, citizens of north Indian temple town pitch in to help clean the Ganges.

Varanasi MAY 12, 2012 ANI 

                                 By Girish Kumar Dubey 

Residents of the north Indian temple town of Varanasi thronged the banks of the river Ganges on Sunday (May 13), marking the occasion of Mother's Day by volunteering to help clean the river that is revered as a mother in the region.

The residents assembled at the city's famed Dashashvamedh Ghat, wading into the water to pull out refuse, while schoolchildren picked up brooms to sweep the banks clean.

The residents said that their campaign was a support to the penance of the city's ascetics, who were trying to pressure the federal government to take a serious note of the matter.

"The Ganges is like our mother. Today, on the occasion of Mother's Day, we decided to launch a campaign, because the ascetics of our city are using penance to urge the government to protect the river. Whether or not they get the government to pay attention is a long struggle. Supporting this struggle whole heartedly, we are using the support of the common people to help clean the river," said Satya Prakash, a volunteer.

The Ganges, apart from the problems of siltation and flooding, has large stretches heavily polluted by industrial and domestic waste.

The Indian government last year approved a $1 billion loan from the World Bank to fund an eight-year project to clean the River Ganges.

The 2,510-kilometre-long river that runs from a glacier in the western Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh supports over 400 million people out of India's population of 1.2 billion.

The river occupies pride of place in the Hindu religious pantheon as a giver of sustenance.

Intro

Residents of the north Indian temple town of Varanasi commemorate Mother's Day by volunteering to clean the river Ganges, revered in the country as a giver of sustenance.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL

Shotlist

VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (MAY 12, 2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC)

1. PEOPLE GATHERED ON A RIVERBANK

2. VOLUNTEERS CARRYING GARBAGE

3. A PILE OF RUBBISH

4. SCHOOLCHILDREN SWEEPING RIVERBANK CLEAN

5. VOLUNTEERS STANDING IN THE WATER, PULLING OUT REFUSE

6. RIVER BEING CLEANED BY VOLUNTEERS

7. A PILE OF RUBBISH

8. PEOPLE GATHERED ON A RIVERBANK

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) A VOLUNTEER, SATYA PRAKASH, SAYING:

"The Ganges is like our mother. Today, on the occasion of Mother's Day, we decided to launch a campaign, because the ascetics of our city are using penance to urge the government to protect the river. Whether or not they get the government to pay attention is a long struggle. Supporting this struggle whole heartedly, we are using the support of the common people to help clean the river."

10. VOLUNTEERS CLEANING THE RIVER

11. A PILE OF RUBBISH ON THE RIVERBANK