GREATER NOIDA: The sleepy little village Tilwada was abuzz with activity on Sunday as villagers along with residents of Greater Noida city kept streaming in steadily early morning. It was the start of Clean Hindon River Walk undertaken by local Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh to create awareness among people to save the slowly dying river.The walk which began at 11 am and covered a distance of 3.5 km stretch from Tilwada (the confluence point of river Yamuna and Hindon) to Momnathal village near Yamuna Expressway was part of the first stage of 25 km stretch of the 'Clean Hindon Walk' organised by residents of Greater Noida under the leadership of MLA Singh.500 trees of Peepal and Neem were planted during the walk along the banks of the river which is polluted with industrial effluents amounting to zero oxygen in the river which has resulted in no aquatic life."The water here in Hindon was all black in colour and raising a stink," said Alok Singh, founder Active Citizens Group (ACG) which particpated the walk. Virendra Singh , a local villager whose land is next to the river, maintained that due to contamination in river water, productivity has declined and farming has become difficult. "The produce is also not healthy I feel," said Singh.Locals stated that some 15 years ago they used to drink water directly from the river, but now, its not possible to even stand next to it due to the stink raised. "We thought it was a nullah (drain) flowing before, but as awareness initiatives were undertaken, we came to know that it is a river," said Vikas Kumar a local villager."We came all the way to this place and undertook the walk under the hot sun as we felt that it is our responsibility too to save our environment," said Capt Rohit Saxena, a resident of Silver City in Greater Noida."We have found many cases of people getting affected by deadly diseases due the river water," said Dhirendra Singh who called for a dedicated effort at maintaining the green environs for without industrial wastes around the river.While a boat was arranged for the marchers to cross the river to reach village Momnathal where the walk culminated around 1:30 noon, each participant planted a tree along its banks to ensure that it breathes again in future.Meanwhile the divisional commissioner Dr Prabhat Kumar has ordered a pollution audit of industries near and far, that are suspected to be discharging effluents into the river. He said that "UP pollution board has been asked to conduct an audit of industries that are close to the river banks, as well as further away and submit a report."The audit is expected to be completed within one month.

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