Sabarmati River clean-up concludes with discarding of 166 tonnes plastic waste

Sabarmati River is considered the second most polluted river in the country, as per a CPCB report in 2024. The clean-up drive which was jointly initiated by Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Ltd (SRDCL) and the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has come to an end after 20 days.

Although the plan was to clean the river across an 11-km stretch from Subhash Bridge to Ambedkar Bridge, the AMC has announced the completion of the operation after cleaning only a little over 6 km. 

As per reports, 945 tonnes of waste were removed from the river. However, doubts have been raised about whether such a large amount of waste was cleared.

The SRDCL has claimed that a total of more than 945 tons of waste was removed from the river, including 166 tonnes of plastic, 86 tonnes of fabric, 90 tonnes of wood, and 608 tonnes of other waste.

The AMC and the SRDCL had initially announced the start of the river cleaning on May 14. However, due to the presence of water, actual cleaning began on May 15. 

According to AMC, over one lakh people took part in the clean-up drive by June 4. After cleaning the area up to Sardar Bridge, the campaign was concluded. Following a meeting between officials of the corporation and the irrigation department, water will be released back into the river.