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ACHIEVEMENTS
Eco-Friends has been engaged in highlighting the issues of environmental degradation. Eco Friends has been successful to a large extent in drawing all round national and international attention about the nature and impacts of pollution of the river Ganga. It is well known that in the course of its 2525 odd km long journey, Ganga becomes most polluted at Kanpur.
Over the years, Eco-Friends has succeeded in leading and catalyzing several civil society actions which have had a significant impact on stopping further pollution of Ganga. Sustained eco activism by Eco-Friends has led the governmental agencies at various levels to be more responsive, transparent and pro-active regarding environment and pollution related issues. Given the scale and magnitude of the problem, a lot however, remains to be achieved.
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1. As a result of the Public Interest Litigation filed by Eco-Friends in the Allahabad High Court in 1997, several landmark orders have been passed to address critical issues of pollution of the river Ganga including closure of 200 odd polluting industries and initiation of concrete action to address the limitations of GAP-I.
2. EcoFriends has been relentlessly working in Jajmau region of Kanpur for the past four years where toxic chemicals have entered in the ground water stream and in the food chain severely impacting the environment/public health of the people in the region. Eco Friends - Ganga Vahini, (village task forces) in 20 villages is a unique contribution to organizing the local communities to take sustained and effective action on pollution related issues on the river. Simultaneously, Eco Friends is organizing all Ganga based communities and preparing them as Ganga Praharis (Ganga Watchdogs) since the local communities dependent on the river are best placed to control its pollution. The Public Hearing organized to Eco Friends have helped to effectively highlight the issues in areas worst hit by pollution of the Ganga.
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3. Countless rallies, demonstrations, opinion polls, lectures, press conferences, petition drives are ongoing activities which have helped raise tremendous public awareness amongst the masses at Kanpur and elsewhere about the plight of the river Ganga and the need to take correctives. The mass outreach programme has been the key component of all the activities of Eco Friends since its inception. The work of Eco Friends also serves the valuable purpose of being a watchdog of the Government sponsored Ganga Action Plan. Over time, Eco Friends through its reports and independent assessments has brought significant public pressure on the governmental agencies to be more responsive to the plight of the river.
4. Eco Friends has had significant success in monitoring governmental efforts to control river pollution under the Ganga Action Plan. Through actual field surveys and continuous interaction with river based communities as well through scientific investigations in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology, Eco Friends has questioned and critiqued governmental efforts with a view to strengthen them. Various reports and activities of Eco Friends have received national and international coverage in both print and electronic media. Over time Eco Friends has emerged as a key organization relentlessly championing the cause of a clean Ganga.
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