Picking up Plastic

Yuck!

Clean up

The shit hole

bags of plastic

burning cloth and paper

looking a bit cleaner now

   

      

If there is ever work that seems like there is no end to it; it has to be picking up all the plastic from the banks of the Ganges. Rajesh and his friends have this crazy idea that they want to make the ghats (steps into the river) at the holy River Ganges clean and plastic free. Rajesh dreams of one day having all the chai stalls serve tea in environmentally friendly pottery cups, to have rubbish bins that people actually use at ever ghat. To have 2 local men for every ghat hired as security and to fine people who litter. To have more grassy areas with trees and flowers so that pilgrims can sit in the shade and enjoy this holy river. To have toilets for men and ladies with attached changing room for pilgrims to dress after their holy dip. He has a great vision but it all has to start somewhere. 

So far Rajesh and company have persuaded chia sellers in Assi ghat not to not use plastic cups and the peanut sellers not to use plastic bags. Every week he and his friends get together and pull plastic from the river and the river banks. Today I was willingly roped into the cleanup project. 

So how does this river get so filthy you may ask, well; after pilgrims take a dip in the river, they leave their old clothes on the river bank along with the paper and plastic bags that contained all their offering of flower garland, sweets, incense and fruit? They may have a picnic after their dip so there are also styrofoam plates and cups, crisp bags and biscuit wrappers left everywhere. Of course there are no toilets, so in amongst all this rubbish is human and animal shit. So today we all donned plastic gloves and with sacks in hand separated out paper and cloth for burning and plastic for removal. Today was nice and hot so the riverbank was stinking. We removed bags of plastic and dumped them in the designated area for rubbish removal but when and if that gets removed by the local authorities is another story. I think there the cows and water buffalo may eat all the plastic before the authorities get to picking up the plastic

It was a tough job today but someone has to start and I am so happy, even honoured to do my wee part and to support the people who will one day (hopefully) turn this place into a real holy river paradise. 

WELL DONE LADS !