Fresh wave of debris engulfsDoyang reservoir after cleanup

Barely a year after the Clean Doyang Mission cleared tons of garbage and waste materials from the Doyang reservoir, the dam is once again overwhelmed with floating debris.
Earlier, the cleanup in 2024, carried out with extensive manpower and coordination, had restored the reservoir to a cleaner state. However, with the this year’s monsoon, that achievement has been nullified.
Plastic bottles, floating logs and other debris brought downstream by heavy rains, now blanket stretches of the water surface and banks. The volume of waste has already reached alarming levels and with the monsoon still ahead, more garbage is expected to flow down from upstream areas.
Observers said the recurring waste build-up was a clear warning that unless the primary sources of pollution were addressed, the problem would persist year after year.
They pointed out that cleanup drives could provide only temporary relief and that, with the monsoon still in progress, unchecked inflow could leave the Doyang reservoir facing its heaviest accumulation yet by the season’s end.
There is apprehension that such a condition could threaten the dam and especially the biodiversity of river.
It may be recalled that the then chief secretary J Alam, taking note of the serious environmental hazard caused by improper disposal of wastes in the upstream of Doyang dam reservoir, held an emergency meeting on June 7.
Accordingly, the ‘Clean Doyang Mission’ was initiated on a mission mode on June 8 and successfully concluded on June 13, 2024.