Delhi think tank, Kolkata start-up join hands to clean Hooghly ghats

Student volunteers clearing plastic waste from the banks of Hooghly.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A New Delhi-based think tank and a Kolkata-based start-up are currently on a five-day drive to remove plastic waste from the Hooghly river to raise awareness against plastic damaging the ecosystem. They are cleaning a dozen ghats in the city as part of an event they are calling the ‘Kolkata Climate Week’, which will also include panel discussions, roundtables, and pitch sessions.

So far, the ghats covered in the cleaning drive, which began on April 5 and will continue until April 9, include the Champtala ghat, Kumartuli ghat, Ahirtola ghat, Jagannath ghat, and Manindra ghat. Those that remain to be covered include Babu ghat, Mullick ghat, Outram ghat, and Adyarasradhya ghat.

“All untreated plastic waste ends up in water, especially near rivers. Such plastic waste is carried to the ocean, and now marine plastic pollution has reached an enormous proportion. In another decade or so, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Already there are several plastic waste islands in oceans,” Anindya Sengupta, a former civil servant who is now a director at the New Delhi-based Centre for Global Affairs and Public Policy (CGAPP), which works primarily on sustainability-related issues and with climate tech start-ups.

“The Ganga river system is the second largest source of oceanic plastic pollution. Huge amounts of untreated plastic and micro-plastic is getting into humans and animals because of this, and generally affecting our ecosystem adversely. To highlight this issue, we are trying to focus on an anti-plastic pollution campaign along the Ganga. We have done the first phase in Rishikesh, and now we are doing the second phase in Kolkata,” Mr. Sengupta told The Hindu.

The Kolkata-based start-up collaborating with the CGAPP is focused on engineered bamboo.

“The cleaning is being done mainly through an automated trash boat (Aqua Skimmer) and an anti-littering machine (Gobbler Pro). Both are being showcased in Kolkata for the first time. There is great response from volunteers, participating school kids, and locals. All are very excited about the machines,” Mr. Sengupta said.

“Our message and the purpose of Kolkata Climate Week is that the climate crisis is upon us. We all can see extreme temperatures and unseasonal rains, frequent cyclones and such extreme climate events all around us. We all need to do our bit to improve our own living conditions as well as for the next generation. Kolkata Climate Week is a call to action for all,” Mr. Sengupta said.