From Sparrows To Rivers: How Capital Green Warriors Are Saving The Environment

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Carbon footprint, climate change, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and depleting greenery have all become common topics of discussion and concern. However, there are some who are actually doing whatever they can to save the environment. They are also inspiring and motivating others in society through their work.

On the eve of World Environment Day, the Free Press talked with some Green Warriors in the city to know why and how they are working for our birds, our water resources, our soil and our trees.

Excerpts:

Reviving Betwa

RK Paliwal, a retired IRS officer, has been working for the past two years to revive the Betwa River. “Betwa is the lifeline of the Bundelkhand region and there was a time when it used to flow perennially. However, slowly, it dried up at its source,” says Paliwal. When appeals to the government to save the river fell on deaf ears, he and his associates decided to act on their own. Last year in May, he organised a Shramdaan Saptah during which volunteers built 50 check dams in the catchment area of the river. Paliwal said these check dams ensured that the river keeps flowing till January. This year’s Shramdaan Saptah from April 10-16 drew more than double the number of volunteers. Old check dams were repaired and 85 new ones were built. “For me, an environmentalist is not one who delivers speeches. For me, he is one who does something concrete to save the greenery and the water resources around him,” he says.

Saras Mitra

Around 25 years back, Mohammad Khalique and Sangeeta Rajgir began working to preserve the bird population in Bhopal and around. ‘Bhopal Birds’ was born a couple of years later, and today the organisation has thousands of members. They work to raise awareness among students about birds and why they are important for our environment. They also count birds of different species to keep track of declines or increases in their numbers. In 2012, they launched the ‘Saras Mitra’ campaign to increase the population of Saras (cranes) in the Bhoj Wetland area. “At the time, there were 12 cranes in the area. We worked with farmers and fishermen in villages from Bishankhedi to Khajuri, and by 2019, their numbers grew to 300-plus,” Khalique says. Bhopal Birds also distributes artificial nests for Gauraiya (sparrows) to people. “Sample surveys conducted by us show that the number of sparrows in the city has increased by 60% to 70%,” he says.

Bartan Banks

Inspired by an episode of Aamir Khan’s show Satyamev Jayate broadcast in 2014, Kiran Sharma and her friend Anita Sharma — both residents of Sonagiri — launched a campaign to make their colony free from garbage and plastic waste. Now, they are a group of around 300 women, each contributing Rs 100 a month. They have together planted around 2,000 trees in the Kalpana Nagar and Sonagiri areas and are maintaining 17 gardens. They perform Shramdaan every Sunday in these gardens to keep them clean and green. They are also running Bartan Banks to discourage the use of plastic plates, bowls, etc., in weddings and other parties. “Now, we have around 5,000 sets of plates, bowls, glasses, etc., which we lend out free for events,” says 49-year-old Kiran. On this Environment Day, they are planning to clear the area around the Hathaikheda Dam.

Stitching cloth bags 

Going beyond her call of duty, 64-year-old Sudha Dubey, as a teacher in different government schools in Bhopal, used to take children to nearby public parks to tell them about different plants and trees and their uses. She also introduced them to forgotten fruits like Kabeet, Bel, Tendu and Mahua, and encouraged them to grow medicinal plants on the school premises. Now retired, she lives in Suruchi Nagar in the city, but her mission to save the environment continues. “I have planted around 8,000 trees in different parts of the city till now,” she says. She also stitches cloth bags from old bedsheets and distributes them in markets. “It is the greenery that makes our earth so beautiful. Let us preserve it for future generations,” she says.