YAZALI, Feb 10: The Kel and Panyor rivers were on Saturday several quintals lighter of trash and garbage after over 1000 volunteers cleaned up the rivers which flow through the heart of Yazali town in Lower Subansiri district.
People from all walks of life participated in the ‘Clean Kel-Panyor river’ drive organized by the Golden Jubilee Yazali Nyokum Yullo Celebration Committee, in collaboration with the Swachh Arunachal Mission (SAM), to clean the rivers prior to the festival celebration.
Braving the cold winter morning, the volunteers jumped into the rivers and cleaned up tons of trash and garbage that had accumulated over the years.
Volunteers also cleaned up the market, and the premises of offices and educational institutions.
People from Potin, Posa, Pitapool, Yachuli and various other villages participated in the cleanliness drive, along with a Swachh Bharat Mission team from Itanagar.
Yazali ADC JT Obi urged the people to maintain cleanliness of their surroundings, emphasizing that cleanliness should not be a one-day affair but an everyday habit.
“The programme was organized to create awareness on keeping the rivers clean by not dumping waste there,” said the festival’s organising committee chairman Toko Jyoti, who also heads the SAM.
“We are overwhelmed by the huge participation in today’s drive,” he said, and expressed hope that the initiative would encourage the people of other districts to follow suit.
The Golden Jubilee Yazali Nyokum Yullo Celebration Committee, in collaboration with the SAM, is also creating awareness in the villages about the importance of cleanliness.
The committee has already banned the use of plastic and other non-biodegradable substances to make the festival truly eco-friendly.
