For centuries, the holy river Ganga has been a symbol of spirituality, purity and life itself. The river is also home to 3,600 Gangetic dolphins, which are now considered endangered.
But today, the Ganga is considered to be the fifth most polluted river in the world.
In 2014, the government of India launched Namami Gange, a flagship project aimed to clean the river Ganga, its ecosystem and the villages around the banks.
In 2016, the Ganga Prahari programme was launched by the National Mission for Clean Ganga and the Wildlife Institute of India under the Namami Gange programme. The program involves an army of 4000 volunteers spread across 100 districts of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal.
Their task? To keep a check on river pollution, prevent people from littering as well as report poaching.
Reporting: Ishita Mishra
Videos: RV Moorthy
Production and voiceover: Richard Kujur
