A volunteer-led Meghadrigedda Reservoir cleanup in Visakhapatnam has resulted in a pledge to hold monthly drives, extending the campaign beyond a one-day effort at one of the city’s key drinking-water sources.
Volunteers, youth groups and environmental activists gathered at the reservoir on Saturday with gloves, bags and cleaning tools. They collected plastic waste, discarded materials and other debris from the waterbody and its surrounding areas.
The programme was jointly organised by Simhadri TMT, Hima Humanitarian Association and local youth. Residents, volunteers and NSS students from Aditya Degree College in Daba Gardens also took part in the drive.
Organisers said recurring clean-up campaigns were necessary because pollution in and around waterbodies cannot be addressed through isolated events. Representatives of Hima Humanitarian Association and Simhadri TMT said the monthly drives would ensure that the campaign did not remain a one-day activity. They also pledged to undertake additional programmes focused on environmental protection and water conservation.
The campaign highlighted the risks posed by plastic, chemicals and other pollutants entering waterbodies. Participants said preventing indiscriminate dumping was important for safeguarding drinking water, protecting aquatic life and maintaining ecological balance. They also pointed to the public-health risks associated with contaminated water.
State Information Commissioner P.S. Naidu attended the programme as chief guest and commended the volunteers. He called for greater public participation in conserving water resources and said people had traditionally regarded waterbodies as sacred, making their protection a shared social responsibility.
The event brought together civic-minded residents, educational volunteers, community organisations and a corporate participant around the protection of the reservoir. Its organisers have said the next step will be to continue the clean-up on a monthly basis and conduct further water-conservation initiatives.
