Volunteers help clean Ganga at Haridwar

Haridwar, Oct 21: A major campaign to clean the Ganga has been launched by a spiritual organisation here.

Gayatri Pariwar, Shantikunj has started the Clean Ganga campaign on a large scale and volunteers worked between Har ki Pauri to Lalita Rao bridge, a media statement said.

It was initiated by head of Shantikunj, Pranav Pandya and Shailbala Pandya.

Says Pranav Pandya: "Gayatri Pariwar is conducting a survey on how best to clean the entire 2,525-km Ganga, the holiest of all rivers for Hindus but highly polluted today. The Gayatri Parivar has already begun cleaning the river in patches all across the country but it feels this is not enough. The entire stretch has to be given a facelift -- at one go if possible."

The Ganga originates at Gangotri in Uttarakahand at a height of 12,769 feet above sea level. It passes through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal states in India before entering Bangladesh where it flows into the Bay of Bengal.

Pro Vice Chancellor of Dev Sannskriti Vishwavidhyalaya Chinmay Pandya said that "Ganga is not only the river but it is the lifeline of India."

IANS