Elderly people join hands to clean Atreyee River

BALURGHAT: In a significant development, a group of elderly people of Balurghat have joined hands to clean the banks of Atreyee River on Sunday. According to the residents, the cleaning had become imperative following the deposits of various waste materials on river beds often obstructing the natural flow of the river.

"We have taken up the challenge of cleaning Atreyee but the task is not at all easy. The river that flows across Balurghat has gotten polluted with waste materials over the years due to the callousness of people and it is now under severe threat," said one of the elderly persons, Mrinal Chakraborty.

Notably, 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 on the surface, the variety is gone. The river becomes shallow in many parts during the onset of dry seasons due to silt deposition and accumulation of plastics, thus adversely affecting fish varieties.

"Atreyee has lost its natural depth due to deposition of soil, silt and garbage. Untreated sewage system is also responsible for the pollution. Dirty water from various drains gets mixed with the river, causing a serious threat for us," said another elder, Amal Basu. The elders also took part in singing songs and reciting poems to show respect to the river. They have also taken a decision to submit a memorandum to the local administration and civic body separately so that action could be taken to clean river banks and beds.

According to an official source, the local administration and civic body had earlier initiated measures in cleaning ghats and beds of Atreyee after immersion of Durga idols a few months ago.