14.10.2026 10:52
In India, the Ajnar River, which 20-year-old Surendra Singh Choudhary cleaned alone for eight months, filled with trash again within just a few weeks. The young man, who cleaned the river by collecting tons of waste with his own means, was greatly disappointed when his efforts went to waste in a short time. However, Choudhary, who did not give up, re-entered the river and began cleanup work again.
Surendra Singh Choudhary, who lives in the Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh, India, and is known on social media as Bittu Tabahi, took action in January against pollution in the Ajnar River.
The young man, who began cleaning up the plastic bags, bottles, algae and other waste accumulating in the river, carried out his work largely alone.
Entering the river for months without using professional equipment, Choudhary collected tons of garbage with his own means. The young man, who is said to have spent about 30,000 Indian rupees on the cleanup, continued his work despite not knowing how to swim.
THE CLEANED RIVER FILLED WITH GARBAGE AGAIN
The river, which had been largely cleaned through Choudhary's eight months of effort, was once again covered with plastic bags and various kinds of waste after only a few weeks.
The young environmentalist showed the river's latest condition in footage he shared on his Instagram account on October 13. Seeing that garbage had accumulated again in areas he had previously cleaned, Choudhary expressed his sadness that months of effort had been wasted in a short time.
HE DID NOT GIVE UP, HE ENTERED THE WATER AGAIN
Despite his disappointment, Choudhary did not abandon the struggle and re-entered the river to start collecting the accumulated garbage. In the footage he shared, the young man, who can be seen pulling waste-filled bags out of the water, also asked his followers for suggestions on how to clean more garbage in less time.
HIS EFFORT HAD DRAWN THE WORLD'S ATTENTION
Choudhary's work had previously drawn the attention of businessman Anand Mahindra and former England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen. Footage showing the river before and after cleaning by the young environmentalist had attracted great interest.
Choudhary, who worked with his own means in the first months, later received machine support from the local municipality as well.
However, the river becoming polluted again in a short time once again revealed that collecting garbage alone is not enough and that permanent measures to prevent waste from being dumped into the river are also needed. The young environmentalist is determined to continue his struggle until the river remains clean.