How the Indian Army has taken Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to the world's highest battlefield

Troops posted at the Siachen Glacier have sent back to the base more than 63 tonnes of garbage since 2014 — the year the Swachh Bharat Mission was launched — the Indian Army said recently.

These loads of garbage included packing material, barrels, and perishables, an army statement said. On arrival at disposal areas, the trash was buried in deep trenches dug mechanically in areas where landmass is not fragile.

Siachen, the highest battlefield in the world, is a place where everything is ferried from the hinterland. It is a logistic challenge to move all types of waste out of the glacier, so that these do not become environmental hazards," the statement said.

A huge amount of garbage has been brought back through man-pack loads, porters, ponies, and sometimes returning helicopter ferries.

The army continues to take steps to ensure hygiene at the highest battlefield, it said.

Working in close coordination with civil administration, students, and locals, the troops of Ibex Brigade launched another drive in the border areas of Garhwal region under the recently conceived 'Swacchata Hi Sewa' campaign. It will serve as a major awareness programme in the area.

The areas to be covered under the campaign range from the icy peaks of Mt. Kamet, border villages such as Niti, Malari, and Manaand, and places of pilgrimage like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. The soldiers will work in coordination with civil administration and locals to address garbage collection, plastic disposal, clearing drains, and setting an example to achieve the goals of the campaign, the statement added.

A major cleanliness drive has been launched along the popular tourist tracks of Kedarnath, Bhavishya Badri, and in transit towns of Rudraprayag, Joshimath, Harsil, and Gaurikund, aimed towards waste disposal and management and conserving precious water sources involving local priests, pilgrims, temple administration, municipality, police, and local trade unions, among others.

With inputs from IANS.

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