ZIRO, 13 Nov: The Apatani Youth Organisation (AYA) conducted the 11th edition of Mission Clean Kley River, with the theme ‘Clean Ziro, Green Ziro’, here in Lower Subansiri district on Thursday.
During the cleanliness drive, the entire stretch of the Kley river – the lifeline of Ziro valley – and all its tributaries were cleaned by thousands of volunteers, including students from various educational institutions, members of government departments, police personnel, and members of panchayati raj institutions, NGOs, and apex bodies of the valley.
The entire region was divided into 16 sectors, and each sector was supervised by a HoD, supported by AYA volunteers.
The programme was flagged off by MLA Hage Appa,in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Oli Perme, Superintendent of Police Keni Bagra, HoDs, and representatives of the Tanii Supun Dukun, Apatani Women Association Ziro, Apatani Students’ Union, Ziro Royal Enfielders and several other community-based organisations.
Speaking on the occasion, Appa expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of the Kley river.
He said that, due to indiscriminate dumping of garbage and waste, the river, which was once clean enough to drink from, has become polluted, leading to clogging of streams and flash floods during the rainy season.
He appealed to the residents of Ziro valley to refrain from dumping waste into the river and its tributaries, and to take collective responsibility in preserving the valley’s fragile ecosystem.
AYA president Subu Opo Sala extended gratitude to all the participants and supporting departments for their cooperation and enthusiasm.
He informed that in the next edition the AYA plans to enhance the methodology of the cleanliness mission by making it a weeklong programme, starting with mechanical cleaning of streams and rivers, followed by manual collection of residual waste.
The Mission Clean Kley River initiative aims to strengthen community engagement in environmental conservation, promote sustainable waste management practices, and ensure the long-term preservation of Ziro’s natural ecosystem. (DIPRO)
