A group of 80 villagers of Shishila cleaned River Kapila up to a distance of eight kilometres from Shishileshwara Temple until Holegandi, lying on the border of Chikkamagaluru district, on Sunday.
The members of Shishileshwara Bhakta Vrunda, Yuvaka Mandala were also part of the clean river campaign.
Along with cleaning the river, villagers also took up works to check the flooding of the River Kapila during monsoon. All the driftwood that washed away during the previous floods was cut and removed from the spot under the guidance of forester Prashanth, forest guards Sunil Nagalinga and Nagappa.
“Normally, heavy rain during monsoon results in flooding of River Kapila and Shishileshwara Temple located on the banks of the river. The driftwood that washes along with the floodwater blocks the flow of water at a vented dam constructed in Shishila. As a result, water enters the temple and floods its vicinity. To prevent the flooding, the villagers cleared all the driftwood that was washed ashore, to facilitate easy flow of water during the monsoon,” said Avinash, a farmer and an environment enthusiast from Hathyadka.
More than 100 logs of driftwood from Holegandi, situated on the border of the forest coming under Chikkamagaluru district to Shishileshwara Temple was cleared. Even the dead trees located on the banks of the river were cleared.
The villagers divided into two teams—while one team engaged in clearing the driftwood and cutting it into pieces, another team engaged in cleaning the river.
At the end of the clean-up, the villagers had also collected 10 sacks of plastic waste and another 10 sacks of liquor bottles.
“It’s our contribution as citizens to nature,” said villagers.
Expressing happiness after taking part in the drive, Tilak, a villager said, "Through the cleanliness drive, the villagers made a big contribution in saving the village's lifeline."
The lockdown also motivated the volunteers from the village to come together. While cleaning the river and clearing the driftwood, the villagers adhered to the norms of social distancing.
The cleaning was taken up in River Kapila covering its catchment area of about 100 sq km. The water inflow capacity during a flash-flood in monsoon is 5,000 cusecs.
Shishila Gram Panchayat had supplied masks to all volunteers who took part in the drive.
MLA Harish Poonja visited the spot and lauded the efforts of the villagers.