Activists urge people to use cotton bags, not polythene

ALLAHABAD: Continuing their ongoing campaign to create awareness about keeping the Ganga free from pollution, members of Ganga Sewa Abhiyanam on Tuesday distributed cotton bags to people at Subhash crossing to promote their use.

Samiti convenor Shyam Sundar Singh Patel said use of polythene is harmful in daily life for both people and the environment. It chokes drans which in turn pollute the rivers. He urged people to use cotton bags instead of polythene bags. Patel said the authorities should take measures to stop the flow of drains and sewers into the Ganga.

Another activist Krishna Kumar Gupta said water from sewers should be collected inside a reservoir built up for the purpose and thereafter chemically treated before being drained into the river.

He added that tough measures need to be taken in view of the upcoming Kumbh Mela to ensure a ban on the use of polythene and save the Ganga from pollution.