A volunteer-led clean-up at Visakhapatnam’s Meghadrigedda Reservoir has resulted in a pledge for monthly drives, as residents and environmental groups seek sustained action to protect one of the city’s key drinking water sources from pollution.
Volunteers, youth groups, environmental activists, residents and students from Aditya Degree College in Daba Gardens took part in the drive on Saturday. The programme was jointly organised by Simhadri TMT, Hima Humanitarian Association and local youth groups.
Equipped with gloves, bags and cleaning tools, participants removed plastic waste, discarded materials and other debris from the reservoir and its surrounding areas. Organisers said the campaign was intended not only to clear visible waste but also to raise public awareness about the risks posed by plastics, chemicals and other pollutants entering water bodies.
The focus on Meghadrigedda is significant because the reservoir is identified as one of Visakhapatnam’s key drinking water sources. Participants said preventing indiscriminate dumping was necessary to safeguard drinking water, protect aquatic life and maintain ecological balance. They also highlighted the public health risks associated with contaminated water.
State Information Commissioner P.S. Naidu, who attended the programme as chief guest, commended the volunteers and called for greater public participation in conserving water resources. He said people had traditionally regarded water bodies as sacred and described their protection as a shared social responsibility.
The organisers’ decision to continue the clean-up on a monthly basis is intended to prevent the campaign from remaining a one-day intervention. Representatives of Hima Humanitarian Association and Simhadri TMT said they would also undertake additional environmental protection and water conservation programmes.
The initiative brings together civic participation, institutional support and environmental awareness around a drinking water asset. However, the report does not specify the quantity of waste collected, the agencies responsible for routine maintenance of the reservoir, or whether any enforcement action will accompany the proposed monthly drives.
Participants included retired special metropolitan magistrate Paila Sunny Babu, Bharani Kana Rama Rao, T.V.D. Das, Farooq and R.V.K. Naidu. The next monthly clean-up is expected to continue the organisers’ stated effort to make pollution prevention an ongoing activity around the reservoir.
