Steel city residents on Sunday joined Citizen's Campaign, an initiative of Jusco (Tata Steel Utilities and Infrastructure Services Ltd ) on the eve of World Water Day, to clean water hyacinths from Domuhani Ghat -- the meeting point of river Subarnarekha and Kharkai, in Sonari.

State health minister and local legislator Banna Gupta took part in the cleaning drive along with his supporters.

Around 100 local residents, Jusco employees and staff of the Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee ( JNAC) took part in the drive that continued for about three hours on Sunday morning.

"Through the Citizen's Campaign we want to create an awareness for keeping rivers clean. With the onset of summer the water crisis increases. Hence, we are trying to make people understand its importance and keeping rivers clean by removing hyacinths, which is a threat to aquatic life," said a Jusco official participating in the campaign.

The minister asked his supporters to carry out the cleaning drive once in a week to free both the rivers from the aquatic plants, which are an indication of rising water pollution.

Water hyacinths have started mushrooming in both rivers Subarnarekha and Kharkai, much earlier this year.

Environmentalists attributed the prevailing weather conditions for the early appearance of hyacinths .

They have affected about three-kilometre-stretch of river Kharkai between Kadma and Sonari and about four-kilometre-stretch of river Subarnarekha between Sonari and Mango.