On a mission to help Mula, Mutha flow without any toxic elements

PUNE: Ariver is much more than just a flowing stream of water. It's a metaphor of life and its beauty has inspired several bold strokes in paintings, besides having hooded references in poetry, settlement and flourishing of civilizations.
However, the state of the two rivers flowing through Pune city are anything but this.They have been transformed into a dumping yard for everything people want to discard.Working tirelessly towards changing this pity state and rejuvenating the rivers is a non-governmental organization, Jeevitnadi-Living River Foundation.
The organization was started informally in 2014 with a bunch of 20 people who were restless seeing the state of the rivers. It was registered as an NGO in 2016. “We are all alumni of Ecological Society and have completed a certificate course on sustainable living and managing of natural resources. The course provided us with so much of insights of the harm being done to society that we all grew anxious and restless towards the contamination-tolarant society . That is when we decided to act on this,“ said Shailaja Deshpande, director of the organization.
Initially, it started with weekly meets held mostly on Tuesdays to discuss what has to be done. “We did not immediately rush to the river banks and start cleaning as we knew such an action would leave us exhausted and have a short-term effect. Rather, we started meeting people working towards the cause and planned workshops on toxin-free lifestyle,“ said Aditi Deodhar, founding member of the organization.
Deshpande said, “ At the workshops, we encourage people to lead a toxin-free life by adopting products that do not contaminate the water. This also means adopting the lifestyle of our ancestors -when there was no use of chemical-based priducts such as toothpaste, soaps and shampoos. The workshop has been designed by Pramod Moghe, a retired senior scientist from National Chemical Laboratory .“
Deshpande believes that not many people will switch to the lifestyle if the NGO barely advises the participants to give up commodities and does not provide them with alternatives. Therefore, several members of the NGO have turned entrepreneurs to manufacture toxin-free products.
Charudutt Gokhale, who manufactures herbal floor and toilet cleaners, said, “Sewage treatment plant treats water, but what is the harm if we try to reduce the chemicals infused in water at home?“ Based on the formulae provided by Moghe, Gokhale manufactures and sells herbal cleaners made of `neem', `nilgiri', vinegar and `rita' (soapnut) at the same price of the chemical-based cleaners.
The organization is supported by almost 100 volunteers and runs several programmes that are making people aware about the state of the Mula and Mutha and how they could help make the rivers better.
Adopt a stretch' is one of the pro ` grammes aimed at bringing people closer to the rivers and providing a platform to help clean those. The organization has identified two stretches, one near the Vittalwadi on the banks of the Mutha and another near Aundh on the banks of the Mula, where volunteers gather every Sunday morning and get into the act of cleaning the two rivers.