Overview
- A 21-year-old student known as Bittu Tabahi has led a solo cleanup of the heavily polluted Ajnar River, removing large amounts of waste and sharing before-and-after images that drew wide attention.
- He funded the effort with roughly ₹30,000 of his own money and worked without proper protective gear or swimming skills, exposing himself to health and safety risks.
- High-profile posts by public figures raised the story internationally and prompted contact from Boyan Slat of The Ocean Cleanup, though any formal role or support has not been defined.
- A recent video shows a drum Bittu placed for puja and trash collection broken and thrown into the river, and he has publicly appealed for local cooperation to keep the ghats clean.
- Coverage credits a growing wave of youth-led cleanups inspired by his work while noting that lasting improvement will require better waste collection, behavior change, and government action.