In an attempt to check water pollution and promote conservation of the Indus River, Ladakh has declared August 12 as a Safai Andolan Day for the mighty river. On this day, a mass movement for cleaning up in and around the Indus River and its tributaries across Ladakh will be organised collectively by the government agencies of the Union Territories, communities and the Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Paramilitary forces, Border Road Organisation, social welfare organisation and school students.

Akashvani Correspondent reports that Safai Andolan Day exclusively for Indus River will be the first ever government supported clean up movement for the conservation of the bio- diversity of the Indus River and it is being initiated as a joint significant steps of the all the stakeholders of Ladakh be it UT  administration, Hill Council,  defenses establishments and civil societies to boost the ongoing Mission Indus Cleanup Movement, an initiative of Leh Council launched in June this year to rejuvenate the mighty Indus River.

Mission Indus clean-up movement is an initiative as an immediate intervention for the abatement of pollution. This is being run due to the growing concern about the presence of high levels of arsenic detected in the Indus River Water Test.

Several initiatives under the Mission Indus Clean Up Movement have started, such as high-level meetings on stringent environmental regulations by the enforcement agencies and other measures for immediate control of water pollution, such as upgradation of existing civil sewage water treatment, curbs on illegal dumping of wastes and sustained mass awareness through social and religious influencers.

It is pertinent to mention here that, Leh hill council has taken a series of meetings with stakeholders such as village heads and religious community leaders to seek civil society cooperation in the ongoing Mission Indus Clean-up Movement.