Nethravathi Cleaning Drive: 14 tons of garbage collected on the first day

coastaldigest.com news network
March 5, 2021

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Mangaluru, Mar 5: The river cleaning drive near Nethravathi Bridge initiated by Hasiru Dala and Anti-Pollution Drive Foundation (APDF) on Sunday, February 28, 2021 met with massive participation by over 150 volunteers. Nearly 14 tons of waste carelessly dumped by the public in the vicinity was cleared. This represents only about 10% of the waste presently found at the site. Hence Hasiru Dala – APDF have decided to continue the river cleaning drive on every Sunday from 6am to 11am until all the litter is cleared. 

The clean up drive was a well planned event and a zero-waste activity. As the waste was located in a slope, ropes and hooks were used to get down the slope and haul up the waste. Modified bags made out of old fishing nets were used to store the collected waste and pull it up. Most of the waste consisted of diaper and sanitary disposables, meat, household mixed waste, construction waste, thermocol, broken crockery, dead animals and electronic items. The venue indeed resembled a mini dump yard. The collected waste was picked up by vehicles of Antony Waste Handling Cell for transfer to the municipal yard. As the event venue was along a national highway, Mangaluru City Traffic Police arranged for traffic management and ensured the safety of the volunteers. Mr. Nataraj, ACP (Traffic) personally took charge of the police vigil and encouraged the volunteers with his presence from beginning till end.

It is estimated that over 200 tons of waste is presently found near the Nethravathi bridge. All this waste was recklessly dumped by the public over the last few months. If the waste is not cleared then it will mix with the waters of river Nethravathi during monsoon and end up polluting both the river and the ocean. “Despite repeated appeals by the civic authorities and installing fencing to prevent waste dumping, people continue to discard waste near the river. This is harmful to the ecology and destroys the purity of river Nethravathi which is the lifeline of Mangaluru. Pollution of the ocean is a global catastrophe. We appeal to all citizens to stop the harmful practice of discarding waste at unauthorized places. We also urge maximum participation by the citizens in the clean up drive,” said Abdullah A. Rehman, the founder and CEO of APD Foundation.

Volunteers belonging to different organizations participated in the clean-up drive and gave a helping hand. Apart from NSS / student volunteers of St. Aloysius College, Roshini Nilaya, volunteers also came from Abhisaran Academy of Education and Sports Trust, Parisara Samrakshana Nagarika Okkuta, Nadi Parisara Abhiyana Samithi, Big Bang Group, Journey Theater Group, Jamaat Islam Hind and Team Bozsky Orbs. A girl Ms Gayathri travelled all the way from Manipal to participate in the clean-up drive. Noted environmental activist Jeeth Milan Roche of Give Green Solution too volunteered his services. The event is supported by Ullal Nagara Sabha, Mangaluru City Traffic police and Antony Waste Handling Cell.  

Hasiru Dala – APDF invites volunteers from all walks of life to participate in this community effort to stop pollution of our water bodies and keep the city clean. Those interested may contact Ms. Vanishree B. R. (Convener, APD Foundation): Mobile: 87621 62036 or Mr. Nagraj Ragav Anchan (Convener, Hasiru Dala): Mobile: 9663506158. 

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News Network
November 10,2024

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The media office in the Gaza Strip, where the Israeli regime has been waging a genocidal war since last October, says as many as 188 Palestinian journalists have been killed since the onset of the brutal military onslaught.

The office provided the figure on Saturday, naming four journalists as the most recent victims of the onslaught.

It identified the foursome as Zahraa Mohammad Abu Sukheil, Ahmad Mohammad Abu Sukheil, Mustafa Khadr Bahar, and Abdel Rahman Khadr Bahar.

The office said it “strongly condemns the targeting, killing, and assassination of Palestinian journalists by the Israeli occupation and holds it fully responsible for committing this heinous crime.”

“We call on the international community, international organizations, and those involved in journalistic work worldwide to take action against the occupation, pursue it in international courts for its ongoing crimes, and pressure it to halt the genocide and the targeted killings of Palestinian journalists,” it said.

Earlier in the day, the office said the Israeli regime had bombed the tents sheltering journalists and displaced persons at the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Hospital in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza for the ninth consecutive time.

The atrocity that claimed the lives of two people and injured 26 others came as part of “the genocidal crimes committed by the Israeli occupation army against hospitals, civilians, and displaced persons,” it said.

The media office held the regime and the United States, its biggest ally, as well as other countries aiding the genocide fully responsible for such systematic crimes.

At least 43,552 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and 102,765 others wounded since the launch of the war that followed a retaliatory operation by Gaza’s resistance groups.

The fatalities include 44 people, who were killed across the coastal sliver, in the most recent phase of the military onslaught.

As many as 24 of the victims were killed in the northern part of the territory, where the regime has markedly intensified its deadly attacks for weeks.

They included an eight-year-old child and a five-year-old one, who lost their lives after Israeli warplanes targeted a group of minors filling up jerry cans with water alongside their mother at the Jabalia Refugee camp.

Gaza’s heath ministry, meanwhile, said a number of victims remained under the rubble and in the streets following Israeli airstrikes, saying ambulances and civil defense teams could not reach them due to the sheer extent of the destruction caused by the raids and obstruction caused by the regime.

Also on Saturday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, a United Nations-backed assessment, warned that famine was looming in northern Gaza amid escalated Israeli aggression and the regime’s near-total siege of the targeted areas.

The alert from the Famine Review Committee warned of "an imminent and substantial likelihood of famine occurring, due to the rapidly deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip."

On October 17, the body projected that the number of people in Gaza facing "catastrophic" food insecurity between November and April 2025 would reach 345,000, or 16 percent of the population.

The IPC report classified that figure as Phase 5 -- a situation when "starvation, death, destitution, and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels are evident."

The Israeli military, however, questioned the report's credibility.

"To date, all assessments by the IPC have proven incorrect and inconsistent with the situation on the ground," the army said in a statement, denouncing "partial, biased data and superficial sources with vested interests."

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News Network
November 18,2024

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Mangaluru: A 14-year-old boy, Subodh, tragically lost his life after being struck by lightning while sitting outside his home in Kedila village, Bantwal taluk, on Sunday evening.

The incident occurred around 5:30 PM while Subodh, an 8th-grade student at Kalladka Shriram High School, was seated outside his house. Lightning struck him, leaving him unconscious. 

Family members rushed him to a nearby clinic and later to a private hospital in Puttur, where doctors confirmed his death upon arrival.

The boy's body was sent to Puttur Government Hospital for a post-mortem.

Tahsildar Archana Bhat has directed revenue officials to assist the grieving family. Vitla Revenue Inspector Prashanth Shetty, Village Administrative Officer Anil Kumar, Kedila Panchayat President Harish Valtaje, and panchayat members visited the family to offer their condolences and support.

This heartbreaking incident highlights the unpredictability of nature’s fury, leaving a community mourning the untimely loss of a young life.

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News Network
November 10,2024

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Mangaluru: A tragic accident took place on Saturday at Chembugudde near Thokkottu, claiming the life of a 47-year-old woman after a tanker lorry ran over her. The victim, identified as Rahmat H Rashid, was riding pillion with her husband, Abdul Rashid G, on their scooter. 

The couple was traveling from Yenepoya Hospital to Bajpe when the scooter skidded on the poorly maintained road. Rahmat fell onto the road and was fatally struck by a tanker lorry that was coming from behind. Despite being rushed to the hospital, doctors declared her dead upon arrival.

The incident prompted a swift response from the DYFI Ullal Taluk Committee, which staged a protest on Saturday night, condemning the unsafe condition of the road. Nithin Kuthar, president of the committee, criticized MLA and Legislative Assembly Speaker UT Khader for failing to ensure safe infrastructure, despite touting the road as toll-free. 

Kuthar demanded immediate repairs, warning that the committee would march to the MLA’s office with black flags if the road is not fixed within a week.

Former DYFI State President Sunil Kumar Bajal also voiced frustration over the deteriorating condition of Thokkottu market, highlighting the struggles people face while crossing roads riddled with dangerous potholes. In response to public outcry, temporary repairs were made to the road at Chembugudde on Sunday, though locals remain wary and demand a more permanent solution. 

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