ITANAGAR, 8 Aug: Ahead of the 80th Independence Day, the Youth Mission for Clean River (YMCR) and the Abralow Memorial Multipurpose Society, with support from the Itanagar Smart City Development Corporation Limited, organised a Yagamso river clean-up drive inside IG Park here on Saturday.

Volunteers removed over 5,220 kilograms of garbage from the Yagamso river during the drive, clearing waste that had accumulated and choked the river channel.

As part of the initiative, the collected waste was segregated and audited to assess the nature and composition of waste entering the river. The audit found disposable plates and glasses to be the largest contributor, at approximately 9,000 pieces, followed by cement bags, rice bags and online-delivery bags at approximately 8,500 pieces, and plastic waste at approximately 8,000 pieces. Several other categories of waste were also recorded.

The findings underscore the scale of irresponsible waste disposal and its mounting impact on the Yagamso river and its surrounding environment, the YMCR said in a press release.

The cleanup event was attended also by IMC Ward 10 Corporator Yukar Yaro, along with her team.

The corporator commended the YMCR and its partner organisations for undertaking the cleaning campaign, and voiced concern over the continued irresponsible disposal of waste by individuals.

She urged the public to adopt responsible waste-management practices, and to refrain from dumping waste into rivers and other natural water bodies.

Speaking at the event, YMCR chairman SD Loda urged the volunteers not to keep the values of cleanliness confined to themselves, but to carry the message forward to their families and the wider community.

He appealed to all citizens to show empathy towards rivers and the environment, and to recognise their collective responsibility in protecting and preserving rivers.

YMCR vice chairman Keyom Doni also addressed the gathering, calling the turnout of volunteers a reflection of growing civic awareness among Itanagar's youths.

He said that such river clean-up drives are not one-time events but part of a sustained effort to instil a sense of environmental responsibility in the community, and stressed that lasting change would come only when citizens stop treating rivers as dumping grounds and start treating them as shared resources to be protected.