MAD Volunteers Clean Tamsa Stream ( DEHRADUN )

On May 19, 2013 (Sunday), MAD headed towards Tamsa Stream passing by Tapkeshwar Temple (Ancient Holy Place in Doon). Their cleanup drive was also covered by media and accompanied by local residents, 

Famous news Paper "The Tribune" appreciated their deed...  

Making a Difference (MAD), an association of 800 youngsters in Dehradun, has taken up the cleaning of dwindling streams which have been choked due to excessive pollution and gross neglect by people as well as the government.

Many of the erstwhile perennial streams are now beyond any scope of revival. It is certain that the streams flowing below the Bindal bridge and below the Rispina bridge are dead with all their biodiversity.

From east canal to west canal, Dehradun has no canals. MAD has now resolved that it would not allow those few streams to meet the same fate. Last year in May, they had zeroed in on the Tamsa stream which comes from the Bijapur dam to Dakra and is filled with the filth on the Tapkeshwar temple premises. It is the only stream which is the source of water supply for the town. Concerned over this, MAD volunteers held a mega clean-up drive and an awareness campaign on the premises of the Tapkeshwar temple on May 13 last and collected over 15 quintals of assorted garbage.

On hearing that people continue to pollute the stream, a team of 40 MAD volunteers were back in action yet again today. These included students from Summer Valley School, Brightlands, Doon University, the Dehradun Institute of Technology and Graphic Era University.

The Mahant of the Tapkeshwar temple extended full cooperation and support for this drive and provided them with some spades and also organised tea for young volunteers.

Wearing gloves, gumboots and masks, the youngsters started their work to clean the dried-up stream full of polythene and other pollutants.

Polythene had been almost embedded in the river basin. Other pollutants included puja samagri such as coconuts, lemon, fruits and leaves, which are biodegradable.

The volunteers collected a number of garbage bags. Later, interacting with the volunteers, the Mahant pointed out as to how devotees dump all this waste in the belief that anything dumped in flowing water takes one to divinity.

He said it was this value system that had led to pollution in so many Indian rivers. Later, volunteers organised an awareness drive.

However, volunteers were disappointment at unresponsive and insensitive attitude of Doon Valley Waste Management Pvt Ltd. MAD volunteers had intimated both project manager BS Negi and CEO Siddharth Jain about the drive a day in advance and had requested him for assistance in the campaign. The association had been ensured support by the top officials. However, on Sunday, the officials did not send any vehicle and hungry and exhausted students kept waiting for over three hours.

On contacting top officials, MAD volunteers were told that “We are doing you a favour” and “You are no one to command me”.

Article Courtesy - The Tribune Newspaper

Picture Courtesy - Vinayak Sharma