Cleanliness drive held at River Atreyee

balurghat: A Balurghat-based social welfare organisation conducted Atreyee cleanliness operation on the eve of World River Day at Balurghat Atreyee ghat on Sunday.

The members of the organisation gathered in the morning and pulled the wooden structures of Biswakarma idol from the river beds and cleaned the ghat in order to provide the message to the common residents of Balurghat about the importance of cleaning the river beds.

"Atreyee that flows across Balurghat has been drastically affected by many pollutants for over years due to the callousness of people and the river is now under severe threat of being an ecological disaster," said the secretary of the organisation, Tuhin Subhro Mondal.

According to him, the day highlights the values of rivers and attempts at increasing public awareness and encourages the quality of rivers and water bodies around the universe.

"Atreyee lost its natural depths for the deposition of soils, silts and garbage. Untreated sewage systems are also responsible for river pollution. Filthy water emitted from various drains is often mixed with river water," said the president of the organisation Amal Basu.

Atreyee flows across Balurghat and later enters neighbouring Bangladesh.

The river was once very popular for different fishes but now due to the lack of water in the river surface, the variety has vanished.

It remains dry during the onset of dry seasons due to the deposition of silts, plastics along with other waste materials, affecting adversely in fish varieties. World River Day is observed annually on the fourth Sunday of September with the aim to raise awareness about rivers amongst the public and convey the importance of the water bodies across

the world.