Volunteers, students clean up Nandini river

NASHIK: Hundreds of Satya Sai Seva group volunteers along with BYK College students held a clean-up drive at Nandini river on Sunday.
As part of the Nandini river rejuvenation campaign by the Times Group - Maharashtra Times and The Times of India, volunteers and students cleaned both sides of the river by collecting garbage and other waste.
The drive, supported by the Nashik municipal corporation, started in the presence of additional municipal commissioner Anil Chavan, health officer Vijay Dekate, BYK College principal Dhanesh Kalal, Dharmesh Vaidya of Satya Sai Seva and others.
Nandini river originates from the foothills of Santusha hill near Mahirawani and Belgaon Dhaga and meets the Godavari at Takli Sangam. From Pimpalgaon Bahula, the river enters the municipal limits till its confluence with Godavari at Takli Sangam. In 2012, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board had announced Nandini as the worst polluted river in the city.
Hundreds of volunteers from Satya Sai Seva group and students from BYK College conducted cleaning activities on Sunday at Nandini river, known as Nasardi. This is a part of the Nandini river rejuvenescence campaign by the Times Group - Maharashtra Times and The Times of India.
A clean up drive was held on the banks of the river Nandini at Mhasoba temple, near City Centre Mall here. Volunteers and students cleaned both the sides of the river, collecting garbage and other waste there.
The drive, which was supported by the municipal corporation, was started in the presence of by the additional municipal commissioner Anil Chavan and health officer Vijay Dekate, BYK College principal Dhanesh Kalal, Dharmesh Vaidya of Satya Sai Seva and others.
Nandini originates from the foothills of Santusha hill near Mahirawani and Belgaon Dhaga and meets the Godavari at Takli Sangam. From Pimpalgaon Bahula, where the Nandini enters the municipal limits till its confluence with Godavari at Takli Sangam, the river is in a sorry state. In 2012, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) had announced Nandini as the worst polluted river in the city. Hence, efforts are being taken to clean up the river with the Times Group - Maharashtra Times and The Times of India - leading the campaign in a bid to help the river get back its glory.
In June, the Times Group, which has taken the initiative to clean the river and had conducted first heritage walk from Takli Sangam to Tapovan Road as part of the campaign and it was attended by several government officials, local corporators and activists. The pledge after the walk was loud and clear - to do away with the debris and sewage and start extensive plantation of indigenous trees along both sides of the river.
Afterwards on July 1, the Times Group along with the Nashik Municipal Corporation and forest department planted 27,500 trees at Jyoti Vidyalay on Trimbakeshwar Road, Santusha hill, the origin of River Nandini at Belgaon Dhaga and at Untwadi. Thereafter, the 'Waterman of India' Rajendra Singh had also visited the Nandini river and a weir near Belgaon Dhaga as part of the Nandini river rejuvenescence campaign. Singh had advised to construct weirs on rivers to halt flowing water in a bid to overcome a water scarcity. In August, around 150 students from some schools in the city had taken out an awareness rally as part of the Nandini Project.