Ehsan Fazili/ Srinagar

Javed Dar, a professional photographer who works as India Chief Photographer at Xinhua News, during a recent visit to his native village, Muniwar near Khannabal on the outskirts of Anantnag town in South Kashmir, noticed the growing garbage dump on the bank of the rivulet Sandran that meandered the area.

“The banks were littered with garbage – plastic, home waste, farm waste, etc. The garbage has flown into the river hampering its flow,” Javed Dar told Awaz-The Voice.

He shared his “ehsaas” (emotion) with a friend, Sajad Muniwardi, also a scribe from the village. Both declared: “Something must be done to prevent this menace”.

Village youth clering the waste dump

Three weeks later, Javed and his team ‘Ehsaas’ are happy to see how an idea can bring about a change and mini-revolution.

“It is heartening to see that what started as a little initiative is now inspiring communities across the Valley to take action to protect our water bodies. The initiative began as a local effort from my village and has since been replicated.”

On the fourth consecutive Sunday today, youth in different areas of Kashmir Valley engaged themselves in clearing the streams, brooks, and rivulets of garbage and sent me videos and pictures of their campaigns. “

Javed said his campaign and his sharing the effort on social media has evoked “immense response from the youth in different parts of Kashmir valley who have been feeding him with videos and pictures of the cleaning of water bodies by the volunteers from their respective areas”.

Javed Dar, Photojournalist (X)

Javed spoke as he was busy clearing the garbage from the rivulet in his village on Sunday, 23 February 2025.

Javed Dar with 22 years of professional experience is the recipient of a national award on Environment by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India in 2016 for his photo feature in Earth Magazine, depicting the 2014 Kashmir floods.

Javed Dar shared his agony about the river's condition with his friend Sajad Muniwardi, they spoke about their childhood experiences. “Back then we would take a splash in it and also the water was potable. The villagers used the water for cooking and drinking.”

The waters also irrigate agricultural and horticultural lands in the area. However, due to garbage, the water levels had fallen and were no longer potable.

Javed and Muniwardi consulted the young villagers and formed a Village youth committee to start cleaning the river. “We immediately swung into action,” he said.

We have started the fourth phase of our cleaning drive for Sandran, our village stream and a vital source of the River Jhelum.

It’s truly heartening to see that what we have started as a small initiative is now inspiring communities to take action and protect our water bodies.… pic.twitter.com/6rkWqcO9T6

— Javed Dar (@javeddar786) February 23, 2025

Sandran originates from Verinag spring, the source of river Jhelum, and after passing through various villages enters Anantnag town. Like numerous other streams and brooks flowing from mountains join Jhelum.

Jhelum, also known as Vyeth or Vitasta cuts across Kashmir valley flowing down into Wular Lake in the North and pouring out near Baramulla to cross over to the PoK.

“On the fourth consecutive Sunday, youth not only in this village but in other parts of the valley continue to work for clearing the garbage from the water bodies”, Javed Dar told Awaz The Voice.

He said that the garbage is collected by the volunteers in bags which are then carried by the garbage collection vehicles (on payment) to the nearby dumping sites, he said.

Javed shared the after and before video of the river on X:

Watch the transformation of our village riverbank!

In the second phase of our initiative, we, along with the village youth foundation, took the lead in removing garbage from the banks of our village stream. We will continue this effort until it regains its former beauty. pic.twitter.com/dCDueYpSzm

— Javed Dar (@javeddar786) February 9, 2025

Javed Dar pointed out that about 80 percent of the nearly four km length of Sandran in the village has been cleared so far, adding that it would be a continuing process. The efforts continued with the awareness created among the villagers by the youth committees.

The Youth committee roped in religious heads into the river cleaning campaign requesting Imams and preachers to create awareness about the importance of water bodies in their Friday sermons.

Already the Imam of the village mosque have speaking about the need to preseve the water bodies and keep the village clean in teir sermons on Fridays. “That has helped a lot and more and more people have been coming forward. People of stopped dumping the garbage near the water bodies”, Javed Dar said.

He hoped that all the water bodies would be cleaned and protected with these efforts in the valley.

Javed uploaded the first videos and pictures of the cleaning of the Sandran rivulet in his village on February 2. Little did he know that there would trigger campaigns across Kashmir.

Netizens have been posting images of rivers and water bodies turning waste dumps in Kasmir on social media:

“The banks of river Sukhnag, from Peht Kanihama to Batapora and Kanihama, are drowning in plastic waste, while the PHE department sets up a filtration plant at Mazhom to supply water. Clean water starts with a clean river-why ignore the source? Urgent action needed! @rtimuzaffar pic.twitter.com/UsDfpggMzn

— Aquib bhat (@aaqib_bhat) February 17, 2025

He informed Awaz that there were a huge number of videos and pictures being shared with him from people saying “We have done it” in different parts of the valley including Dooru (near Verinag) and elsewhere from Pulwama district and Tangmarg in the Baramulla district of North Kashmir.

ALSO READ: Telangana adapts Kashmiri Sarpanch Farooq Ganai's gold for plastic campaign

This is significant as it happens to coincide with growing concerns of people in Kashmir about springs and other water bodies drying up.