Women activists join hands to 'save' River Ganges in northern India
VARANASI .MAY 09, 2012ANI
River Ganges is revered and respected in Hindu faith, which is one of the reasons why many of the towns that fall in its route - including Haridwar, Varanasi and Allahabad, among others - have evolved as major Hindu pilgrimage centres over centuries.
However, the deplorable condition and decreasing flow of River Ganges has raised alarm among the masses and the authorities alike, who are concerned with the visibly disastrous impact of increasing pollution on the flora and fauna of the mighty water body.
Irate over the stark government apathy and neglect, scores of women gathered at the banks of the sacred river to individually collect and dispose off the waste from the waters themselves.
Holding up banners and placards, several women activists stressed that if India failed to conserve the River Ganges, it would have a devastating impact on human life.
"Our main objective of gathering here is to extend strong support to the ongoing campaign to cleanse and de-pollute the River Ganges. River Ganges is connected with the lives of Indians. In many ways, it also sustains their lives. If the River is not cleansed and purified, it would have a devastating impact on the lives of Indians," said one of the protesting women activists, Rita Srivastava.
Extending solidarity towards the cause, the women cleared the waste from the waters in their bid to cleanse, conserve and protect the River Ganges, which is threatened by rampant and incessant pollution.
Another activist, Om Prakash Kejriwal, claimed the brigade of women had successfully collected and disposed off nearly 150 quintals of waste within the last 15 days.
"Look at what is happening in the name of cleaning the River Ganges? Many protests, campaigns, agitations, candle marches, and debates on the issue have been taking place routinely. However, we are trying to clean the River Ganges through direct action. It is a very small attempt, but we are entering the river ourselves and taking out the garbage and waste in the water. For the last 15 days since this campaign has been going on, I think we have been able to dispose of 150 quintals of waste from the river. It is a major achievement," said Kejriwal.
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 of India's 1.2 billion population.
However, the River Ganges was termed one of the world's most polluted rivers in 2007.
Environmentalists have also, on numerous occasions, expressed concern at the accumulation of silt deposit and garbage along its banks.
In 2011, the federal government got a $1 billion loan from the World Bank, to fund an eight-year project to clean the River Ganges, particularly the large stretches heavily polluted by industrial effluents and domestic waste.
Intro
Hundreds of women hold a highly-charged protest in the Varanasi town of India's northern Uttar Pradesh state to highlight the urgent need to cleanse and conserve the widely-revered yet dying River Ganges.
Shotlist
VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (MAY 09, 2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI-NO ACCESS BBC)
1. WOMEN ACTIVISTS STANDING AT THE BANKS OF THE RIVER GANGES
2. PROTESTING WOMEN HOLDING PLACARDS AND POSTERS
3. WOMEN MARCHING ON THE RIVER BANK
4. WOMEN PROTESTORS MARCHING
5. VARIOUS OF PROTESTORS WALKING WITH PLACARDS AND POSTERS
6. WOMEN ACTIVISTS WALKING WITH PLACARDS
7. ACTIVISTS ARRIVING AT THE RIVERSIDE
8. CLOSE OF A POSTER
9. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) ONE OF THE WOMEN ACTIVISTS, RITA SRIVASTAVA, SAYING:
"Our main objective of gathering here is to extend strong support to the ongoing campaign to cleanse and de-pollute the River Ganges. River Ganges is connected with the lives of Indians. In many ways, it also sustains their lives. If the River is not cleansed and purified, it would have a devastating impact on the lives of Indians."
10. CLOSE OF A BANNER
11. ACTIVISTS TAKING FISTFULS OF WATER FROM THE RIVER GANGES AS A MARK OF RESPECT
12. WOMEN ACTIVISTS HOLDING OUT THEIR HANDS
13. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) AN ACTIVIST, OM PRAKASH KEJRIWAL, SAYING:
"Look at what is happening in the name of cleaning the River Ganges? Many protests, campaigns, agitations, candle marches, and debates on the issue have been taking place routinely. However, we are trying to clean the River Ganges through direct action. It is a very small attempt, but we are entering the river ourselves and taking out the garbage and waste in the water. For the last 15 days since this campaign has been going on, I think we have been able to dispose of 150 quintals of waste from the river. It is a major achievement."
14. A HEAP OF GARBAGE COLLECTED FROM RIVER GANGES
15. CLOSE OF THE HEAP
16. WOMEN ACTIVISTS STANDING NEAR THE HEAP OF GARBAGE
17. VARIOUS OF WOMEN CLEANING THE RIVER BANK
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