River doctors

Starting April 11 this year,under the leadership of Dr Vivek Dixit ,senior research fellow in MAMC Medicine department,this small group has already cleaned four banks of Yamuna — near Okhla,ISBT and two ghats near ITO.

The group meets at least three weekends of a month.

“Every day,we drive via the ITO bridge to work. And every day we would see people dumping garbage packed in polythene bags in the river. It is so absurd that as residents of this city,we have got so used to the sight of the dirty Yamuna,” Dr Dixit says.

A post-graduate in microbiology,with another masters in public health,Dr Dixit is now working on research in post menopausal bone diseases in women,at MAMC.

Armed with shovels,spades and trowels,the group gets dressed up in surgical caps,sanitised gloves and protective foot gear. All curious onlookers are welcomed to join in.

The job is a tedious one. Every doctor digs through the piles of garbage,separating plastic and polythene from water hyacinths,trying to salvage idols of gods and goddesses,and other long-forgotten memorabilia.

“We do inform the municipal corporation authorities and the local police. But so far,they have not sent reinforcements. So,we use whatever crude tools we manage to gather and remove the garbage. It is hard work,but immensely satisfying,” Vinay Singh,a research students,says.

At the end of three hours of digging,cleaning and separating,the garbage is divided into wet and dry and packed up in different bags.

“We have to keep reminding the civic authorities to pick up the garbage and discard it. On two occasions,the garbage had not been picked up,but we are going to keep at it,” Govind,another student,says.

The group also tries to sensitise people living by the banks of the river. “We have tried to tell them to keep vigil and stop people from dumping things in the river,but inevitably they say it is not their responsibility. The attitude is that I haven’t thrown the garbage,so why should I clean it — it is the government’s job. It is this mentality we are trying to change,” Dr Dixit says.

Dr Dixit started working on this project by convincing residents of Sarita Vihar,where he stays,to contribute Re 1 towards saving the river. “Many people made fun of me. Others would offer Rs 100,laughing at my modest request for a single rupee. But I wanted every member of the neighbourhood — the rickshawallah,the security guard and the businessman to have a uniform role and contribute equally. This way,it would enforce a sense of responsibility. I did not want to make it a charity affair,” Dr Dixit says.

He then followed up with a page on Facebook titled ‘Swacha Yamuna Abhiyan’.

“This is not a registered NGO,it is just a name I gave to the campaign. I want to spread awareness about how dumping things in the river in the name of religion or simply discarding waste is eating away such a characteristic part of the city,” he says.

He points out that unlike other cities,where arterial rivers form a major tourist attraction,in Delhi people try hard to keep tourists away from the Yamuna. “For us,the river has become an embarrassment. That needs to change,and every citizen has a role to play here,” he says.

Now,these doctors are trying to get technicians from MAMC workshops to design personalised tools,which would help them work faster and more efficiently. “We especially need something that helps remove the water hyacinth that is clogging the river banks,” Singh says.

In the past three weeks,there have been instances when others pitched in to help and there have been times when the numbers dwindle.

“My view is simple — even if I am the only person turning up everyday,I will continue. I believe firmly that if we stick around for long enough,change is inevitable,” Dr Dixit says.