GANGA WEEK

(21st July –26th July 2003)

Ganga, which is the symbol of India’s Culture, the source of our legends and poetry, the sustainer of millions, is one of the most polluted rivers today.

River Ganga is worshiped by millions of people but it is tragic that in spite of the efforts of the Central and the State Government as well as numerous private organizations, the condition of the river, in certain stretches, is appalling.

Delhi Public School, Sarvodaya Nagar in collaboration with Eco-friends for the purpose of inculcating a sense of responsibility in each and every child so that the small children may themselves resolve to keep Ganga clean, observed the ‘Ganga Week’.

During the week, various activities were undertaken by the school to make the students aware of the increasing pollution of the river Ganga. The students were also taught the life skills through slides shows, report writing, media articles, field visits, talks with resource persons, art based activities, interviews etc.

As a part of the programme, the students were involved to learn about the sacred river of their town and an effort was made by the school to sensitize the students for keeping the Ganga clean. In order to generate consciousness among the students regarding the river Ganga, poster and charts bearing its various aspects were put up all around the school premises.

Class V students organized a special assembly with the theme “SAVES GANGA, SAVE WATER, SAVE LIFE”. The assembly discussed the following topics:

Students of class I were shown slides on Ganga—‘From Purity to Pollution’. Class II students were engaged in art based activities. Students of Class III prepared a status report on Kanpur stretch of river Ganga, using pictures and articles from newspapers and magazines. Class IV students wrote poems on river Ganga and also drew the pictures related to it. Inter House Declamation Contest was held on the topic of river pollution. All the students watched films on “Ganga and pollution from leather industries” made by Doordarshan for “TEESRI AANKH”.

On the last day, a field trip to the pollution hotspots of Ganga was organized. 250 students of Class IV and V were taken to various sites (Ganga Barrage, treatment plants and Massacre Ghat) to see for themselves the state of the Ganga. All the participants were face to face with the reality of polluted Ganga for the first time. At the treatment plant site, the students were shown as how the city wastewater and the industrial effluent is treated and reused as irrigation water. Finally the students were taken to Massacre Ghat where they saw the garbage accumulated and littered all along.

The field trip succeeded in making the participants aware of the problem and the urgent need for remedial action. At the end, the message was given to the children by the Head Mistress, Mrs. Rachna Mehrotra. The Principal, the staff and the students thanked Eco Friends- Mr Rakesh K Jaiswal, Mr Mohd Owais and Mr Rashid Anwar for extending full cooperation to DPS in organising the “Ganga Week”. The students pledged to take care of the river Ganga by raising the slogan “GANGA KAHE PUKAR KE, BACCHON RAKHO MUJHE SAMBHAL KE”.