Bittu Tabahi Brings River Clean-Up Drive to Delhi-NCR, Clears 585 kg From Yamuna
Bittu Tabahi, who cleaned the Ajnar River in Madhya Pradesh, has extended his campaign to Delhi-NCR, removing 585 kg of waste from the Yamuna and 2,435 kg from Gurugram.
Surendra Singh Chaudhary, better known as 'Bittu Tabahi', has carried his river clean-up campaign into the Delhi-NCR region, removing 585 kg of waste from the Yamuna in the national capital before moving on to Gurugram and Noida.
The 21-year-old, who first drew attention for cleaning a heavily polluted river in Madhya Pradesh, led the drive in Delhi on September 20, observed as World Cleanup Day. In a video shared on Instagram, he said he and other volunteers cleaned the river over three days, with roughly 585 kg of waste cleared from the riverbank on the first day alone.
He described spending four and a half hours cleaning the Yamuna bank, where flower garlands, items used in worship and plastic lay scattered across the pier. According to him, passers-by joined in and handed over waste, and the entire edge was eventually cleared.
The pollution of the Yamuna has long been a prominent issue in Delhi's politics. The river has featured in election manifestos, with parties pledging to clean it, and successive governments have announced plans to tackle the pollution.
After Delhi, the campaign moved to Gurugram, where 2,435 kg of waste was removed from Khedki Daula. The final phase reached Noida, where a clean-up was announced at Yuva Shakti Ghat in Sector 94, scheduled to begin at 6 am, with an appeal for members of the public to join in cleaning the Yamuna riverfront.
Chaudhary belongs to Biaora in Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh district. He has documented his work through Instagram videos showing him removing plastic, algae and other waste from the Ajnar River.
His river-cleaning effort began on January 26, 2026, Republic Day. What started with a small group of friends gradually became a largely solo undertaking. He has cleared large quantities of waste by hand, using basic equipment and at times working without adequate safety gear. He has also spoken about the physical risks involved, including infections, severe skin irritation and encounters with snakes during clean-up activities in and around the water.
The initiative has largely been funded from his personal savings, which he has used to buy equipment and other supplies for the drives.
His work on the Ajnar River eventually attracted international attention. Boyan Slat, founder and CEO of the Netherlands-based environmental organisation The Ocean Cleanup, noticed his efforts and offered him a job.