Sep 02, 2019 / 17 SDGs

Bouddi and Y-East begin Hooghly River Clean Up Project in Kolkata!

There is estimated to be more plastic than fish in the Ocean by 2050 and 90% of this waste
stems from just 10 rivers across the world. The Ganges is one of them and this is where our
solution steps in.

The Hooghly River Clean Up Project, entirely funded by Lochie Burke and Bouddi Solutions is
planned to initially start on the Southern most end of the Hooghly River, a long distributary
of the Ganges River which runs into the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea.
In partnership with Y-East, Bouddi plans to engage over 100 local people in the first phase of
this project, targeting the unemployed, providing them with working opportunities, family
support, education and basic health care.
“Today was also a great learning process. While picking the waste from the mud, you
actually realise how dirty, polluted and stinky our water ecosystems really are because of
human activities. And I'm wishing no human nor animal to live in this” Pauline Laravoire ,
founder of Y-East and Sustainability Director at Techno India Group, commented.
In support of the Namami Gange Program, this initial phase will address River Surface
Cleaning and Public Awareness, focusing on the education and behavioural change of the
linking communities surrounding the Ganges in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Jharkhand and West Bengal to minimise the Ganges impact on the world’s oceans.

The Hooghly River Clean Up Project has launched this weekend on Sunday the 1 st of
September at the Mullick Ghat, slightly down stream from the iconic Howrah Bridge.

The event began at 10am and went along until 12pm. Bouddi and Y-East teams, along with
partners, friends and citizens, cleaned up a specific identified area before high tide reached
the Ghat. Ajay Mittal, Director at Earth Day Network, affirmed 'Earth Day Network is happy
to be a part of this great initiative that benefits our common home – Earth. Across the globe,
our #TheGreatGlobalCleanup is ongoing. Under this in India, multiple programs have been
conducted along the River Ganga, from Devprayag to Ganga Sagar, and it's important
organisations join hands together for tackle the issue.'
Meghdut Roy Chowdhury, director at Techno India Group said "It was was quite stressful
and tiring but when you see more than 50 Techno India students, fellow citizens and
volunteers from organisations like Future Hope, Earth Day Network, Vital Waste, ACTS
Active Citizens Together for Sustainability getting their hands and feet dirty trying to clean
up every inch of the Ghat, it makes all of it worth it. We will continue organising and
supporting such citizen action drives."

To kick off his company’s commitment further, Lochie Burke took a swim in the River as a
symbolic closing gesture to the event and opening of the long-term project.
“If we want to continue enjoying all that our water ways and oceans have to offer, the time
for action is now. I for one am not going to stand by and watch our marine life be replaced
by plastic waste” Lochie Burke, Co-Founder and Director at Bouddi Solutions.