Be the change: These 4 people are making Bengaluru get its ‘Garden City’ tag again

Cleanest cities | Number 4: Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh (Representative image)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ began on a high note as all the cities began working in full steam to keep their surroundings clean.
With time, various cities dealt with their sanitation problems with grave seriousness and solved several issues like strewn garbage, disposal and cleaning streets.
Many cities made their way up in the Swachh Bharat rankings too, however, one city which has been tumbling down in the list of clean cities is Bengaluru.
Bengaluru, which earned the sobriquet of the Garden city, was once the seventh cleanest city in 2015 in India but now it stands as 210 in the Swachh Bharat rankings
The IT hub is dealing with massive garbage issues where one can see piles of garbage strewn on roads. Now and then, residents complain of unclean streets, zero garbage disposal system and no intent to use the waste processing infrastructure
So much as, Bengaluru scored zero out of 400 marks in waste processing plants as none of its compost-based waste processing plants were operational.
The city is dealing with a plethora of problems. However, there are some environment crusaders who want to do something to make the city clean. They are tackling hurdles and also raising awareness about the same.
It is rightly said that ‘be the change you want to see’ and here are four examples from whom you can take some motivation:

1. Bengaluru: Swachha Basavanagudi

Gagan Nandi was determined to bring about a change and with this thought he started ‘Swachha Basavangudi’. Nandi, 24, kick-started a cleanliness drive which turned Basavanagudi from a garbage dump to an area with neat and clean corners. He started a Facebook page ‘Swachha Basavanagudi’ and initiated the cleanliness drive. He formed a team where people took up each ward of Basavanagudi every Sunday and cleaned it. They publish their work on the website and you have to see it to believe it.

2. Saahas Zero Waste Organisation (e-waste management)

The electrical and electronic sector produces a lot of e-waste and Saahas Zero Waste Organisation took the initiative to tackle it. They have established a collection channel for households and organizations to dispose e-waste to authorized recyclers. Saahas has an authorized e-waste collection centre where your e-waste can be dropped off.

3. Clean Bangalore, Green Bangalore campaign

This campaign was launched by Rotary Club. It primarily focused on planting 10,000 saplings across the city to make Bengaluru clean and earn the nickname of ‘Garden city’ back.

4. I am the change: Dr Meenakshi Bharath

Dr Meenakshi Bharath sees more than filth in garbage. An advocate of ‘Clean Bangalore’, Dr Bharath is a strong voice in support for garbage segregation and recycling. Her project on solid waste management, 'Yes, In My Back Yard', created cleanliness crusaders in every house in her vicinity. This campaign led people to segregate and composite wet waste in their backyard without any foul smell.