Chennai residents have a collective responsibility to restore the Cooum and Adyar rivers to the standards that existed during the 1950s and 1960s, Governor Banwarilal Purohit said on Friday.
Launching the ‘Clean Cooum Campaign’ spearheaded by 4th Battalion, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Arakkonam, he said natural resources must be preserved and passed on to younger generations in a sustainable way.
Appreciating the NDRF for its concern for public welfare, he said the campaign to clean the river in various locations for a stretch of 13 km would be taken up by NDRF along with government agencies, including the Greater Chennai Corporation and private organisations and colleges.
About 1,500 volunteers would be involved in cleaning the river in locations, including Anna Nagar, Nungambakkam, Spurtank Road, Egmore, Chintadripet, near Apollo Hospital, Greams Road and near Napier bridge. The NDRF will carry out the cleaning exercise twice a month for three to four months to contribute towards a cleaner river, he said.
The Governor recalled that the Cooum river was once a pristine river with 49 species of fishes in 1950 that was later reduced to 21 species. But now, there are no fishes in the river due to toxic pollutants.
The Cooum and Adyar rivers were covered under the National River Conservation Programme and funds were provided to agencies earlier. Though efforts were taken to restore the river, the inability to arrest sewage through a comprehensive plan led to the waterway remaining polluted. This campaign would spur efforts for a comprehensive plan to clean the rivers, he added.
The Governor earlier participated in a cleaning drive near Chepauk.
NDRF’s Director General S.N.Pradhan, Ashish Bhengra, former director general of police, State Disaster Response Force, and environmental activist D. Suresh also took part in the campaign.
