A primary objective of Vaishnavas and spiritualists in the environmental movement is to inspire the planet’s citizens to transform the world (the broader environment) into a Holy Dham or place of pilgrimage. It has to begin by making the established holy places more appealing and approachable to spiritualists worldwide. These Vaishnavas are starting a grassroots movement to do just that:
Five Iskcon Devotees – Clean Ganga Mission
“Five devotees belonging to Iskcon are on a mission to help clean the Ganga, which is held sacred by Hindus but is today a highly polluted river. They started their journey from 11th september.
They started a drive to create awareness about Ganga pollution. They are currently on a journey from Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh to Mayapur in West Bengal on the water route to create awareness about river pollution.
They had distributed pamphlets and booklets to people living near different riverbanks during the journey to urge people to clean the river. The team is also making a film on its journey.
According to an estimate, during its 2,510 km-long journey from Gaumukh to the Bay of Bengal, nearly one billion litres of untreated sewage gets disposed into the river, which, according to legend, was brought down to earth by King Bhagirath.
Despite spending over Rs.15 billion on the Ganga Action Plan since its inception in 1984, the river still remains polluted. The second phase of the project, which will start next year, includes setting up of sewer lines in eight cities of Garhwal that fall in its path.”
