Srinagar, Mar. 23: Flagged off on April 9, 2022, by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the mission Athwas, meant for creating awareness about the cleaning and conservation of Dal Lake, has achieved ovation in public circles with the participation of young and old from all walks of life, said the project officer, Gazala Abdullah.
Speaking to Rising Kashmir, Abdullah stated, “Initially, it was confined to cleaning of Dal Lake, but gradually we expanded its functioning and involved officers, students, NGOs, and others to ensure community partnership in conservation of Dal Lake, as she believes Dal belongs to all, so there is a role for community to take part voluntarily in preserving our heritage.”
During the year, we organized 48 programs in which massive community partnership was ensured. Its main purpose is to create awareness in the public, as they are stakeholders in Dal. So far, 3535 people have taken part voluntarily in activities carried out under Athwas. Aside from cleaning operations, we held awareness programs, seminars, and competitions to teach young and old alike about their responsibilities.
She went on to say, “I believe that if our children are made aware of their collective responsibilities at the school level, it will help us a lot in environmental conservation. “During the year, we roped up almost every college in Srinagar district, along with more than dozens of schools in catchment areas, and appraised their roles. I feel the student community is vital in creating awareness in society. When you know a student, you know a home. Once a student returns home, he or she proudly talks about daylong happenings in family. This is the best way to inculcate a sense of responsibility in society.
When asked how the response of people towards Athas was, she said, “it was tremendous. We invite people through several means, including social media, which not only helped us a lot in bringing people to the scene but also earned us a good name outside of J&K. Volunteers from Kerala, Karnataka, and other states approached us to participate in Athwas. I am grateful to Lieutenant Governor J&K Manoj Sinha for initiating this mission to bring people together on a platform to instill a sense of awareness about environmental protection.
Though we are doing awareness campaigns in catchment areas to make people aware of the disadvantages of throwing garbage into water bodies, at the same time we will try to ensure that we provide dustbins to every household there. If the Mission Athas will get an extension, it will be our top priority to take up the matter with SMC and convince them about the service they provide in other parts of the city, the officer added.
