Inside the Relentless Effort to Revive the Ajnar River

A once-polluted stretch of the Ajnar river in Madhya Pradesh is slowly coming back to life, thanks to the relentless efforts of 20-year-old, Bittu. Working without any machinery or institutional support, he stepped into the contaminated waters each day armed with nothing more than bamboo sticks, nets, and gloves, manually pulling out plastic, chemical waste, and thick layers of algae. Piece by piece, he cleared the riverbed, often spending hours wading through sludge and debris under harsh conditions. Despite setbacks like stolen equipment and lack of consistent help, he continued the painstaking process, using simple, improvised tools and sheer determination to restore the river’s flow and health.