CLEANLINESS DRIVE

A report from Dolly Arora (Award Leader), Dikshant International School, Zirakpur

Award participants of Dikshant International School, Zirakpur have undertaken a project in the village of Nagla on the Old Kalka-Ambala highway. The project is towards their Service Section. The main aim was to undertake a cleanliness drive to clean the open drains and thereby prevent the spread of various communicable diseases. Initially, the team found the task difficult, because the drains had never been cleaned after they were made. They were stinking and choked with polythene and tall grass was growing all around. But with the co-operation of Mandeep Singh, one of the villagers, the team managed to take up the drive and arranged sickles and baskets to throw the garbage. Another problem that the team came across was to find a place to throw the garbage, as there was no bin kept to throw the garbage! Every house threw the garbage in the open space outside their house. The IAYP team first tried to convince people not to throw litter everywhere. The next problem was pulling up grass roots inside the drains--this procedure was quite a challenge because the filth from the drain came out along with the grass; so the team got masks and gloves for the job. Once the team started doing it they warmed to the task and the villagers helped by providing baskets, sickles and sticks etc. It took nearly two months to clean the drains. It was a satisfying job to carry out the cleanliness drive every day. The work was appreciated by the village folk and the elected sarpanch of the village promised to lay out the sewerage line.  Click for Pictures