A group of six young city boys are all set to ride their bicycles along the Godavari river valley to study and document the ecological and socio-economic benefits for several communities residing near the river.
Starting from July 5, members of a city-based environmental organisation Friends Foundation consisting of Vijay Aditya, Ranga Prasad, Gopala Krishna, Saagar Tulshan, Adiraju Kirshna Mohan Rao led by Vikram Aditya, will start their journey from Kandakurthi in Nizamabad where the river enters Andhra Pradesh, and end on September 15 at Kakinada. Their journey on bicycles will be done in 75 days covering over 850 km. The expedition is being funded by the National Geographic Society-Expeditions Council at the cost of Rs. 2 lakh which was awarded to Vikram Aditya, an environmentalist.
“The aim of the expedition is to document various threats to the river and the communities subsisting on it. We want to create awareness among people on the need for conserving the river and its unique ecological value,” said Mr. Aditya, during a press conference on Wednesday.
En route, the team will stop at different villages to interact with the communities and learn about their view on the importance of the river and the challenges confronting them. Moreover they will also make halts at schools and colleges along the river banks to interact with students. “The expedition will pass through seven districts and nine wildlife sanctuaries which depend on the river. We will also document various projects being undertaken on the river as well as unique cultural significances of the tribal communities,” he said. The team will also blog about their experiences at ‘www.godavari-expedition.blogspot.com' and are also calling out to biking enthusiasts to join them. Mr. Vikram Aditya can be contacted at ‘vikramaditya04@gmail.com' or on 93966 18878.
