A group of girls from a government school cleaned up the banks of a pond in their locality in Behala.
The students of Children’s Welfare Association High School for Girls sought the help of the civic body when they were unable to do the entire job on their own.
The girls first cleaned a portion of a field adjacent to their school where they play hockey.
A few days later, they undertook the second project, which was to clean the banks of a pond about 500m from the school.
This project turned out to be tough for the teenagers.
“When we went there on the first day, we realised we wouldn’t be able to clear the place on our own and dispose of the garbage and we went back home,” said Class XII student Sathi Das.
The girls did not like having to beat a retreat. The headmistress said they were disappointed and restless because they could not do what they had set out to do.
“It was then that the school approached the local councillor. He agreed to help us out,” said headmistress Sarbari Sengupta.
On March 22, the girls joined hands with the solid waste management department of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. With brooms, gloves and other equipment, they swung into action.
“It became easier for us to scoop up the garbage with the help of spades that the KMC provided us. We also used brooms to clear up the mess,” said Class XII student Sritama Bose.
“The place was littered with plastic packets. This shows how frequently we
use plastic even though we are not supposed to. There is a danger of these places becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes and aggravating the risk of dengue,” Sritama said.
The school has signed up for a Centre for Environment Education challenge. The centre promotes education for sustainable development. The first project of cleaning the field was part of this challenge.
“While cleaning the field, the girls collected 3.7kg of single-use plastic and handed it over to the KMC’s solid waste management department,” said Sengupta.
“They could have skipped the second project of cleaning the banks of the pond but they insisted,” she added.
Councillor Ghanasree Bag of Ward number 126 of the KMC said the initiative was from the school. “When the school approached us, we sent our workers to help them. The students showed great enthusiasm,” said Bag.
The challenge now is to keep the banks clean.
“People who live near the pond thanked us for taking up the project. We told them they should ensure they do not throw any more plastic or garbage there,” Sritama
said.
The girls have put up a placard on the banks of the pond hoping residents of the area help to keep the area clean.