A 20-year-old BSc student from Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh district has drawn renewed attention to river conservation after his months-long effort to clean the polluted Ajnar River earned recognition from Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

Known as Bittu Tabahi, the young resident of Biaora began cleaning stretches of the river on his own after seeing plastic waste, discarded religious offerings, algae and other garbage accumulating in the water. His efforts, documented through videos and before-and-after visuals on social media, have since attracted widespread attention. 

CM Mohan Yadav Meets Bittu

Yadav invited Bittu to Bhopal and met him at the Chief Minister’s residence. During the interaction, the CM praised the student's initiative and referred to him affectionately as “our little Bittu” while appreciating his work to keep the river clean.

The chief minister also honoured him with a ‘Jai Shri Mahakal’ stole and a certificate of appreciation, according to the account of the meeting.

The recognition came as Bittu's river-cleaning campaign moved from a local effort to a story receiving attention well beyond Rajgarh.

Started River Cleanup on Republic Day

Bittu's campaign began on January 26, 2026, according to multiple reports. He initially worked with friends, but continued the effort largely on his own after others stopped participating. 

He used basic equipment to remove waste from polluted stretches of the Ajnar River. Reports say he spent around ₹30,000 from his own money on tools and dustbins for the campaign. 

The initiative eventually expanded beyond simply removing rubbish. Bittu also began separating discarded religious offerings and using some of the material for composting.

He Says He Could Not Swim

One of the striking aspects of Bittu's story is that he reportedly began entering the polluted water despite not knowing how to swim.

Working without adequate protective equipment also exposed him to health risks. Reports have said that he developed skin problems and infections during the cleanup. Despite these difficulties, he continued returning to the river and removing waste. 

His approach has also attracted criticism, with some people questioning whether the campaign was partly intended for social-media publicity. Bittu has continued documenting the work and defending the effort through his videos.

Bittu: Government and Public Both Have a Role

During his meeting with the chief minister, Bittu reportedly stressed that river conservation cannot depend entirely on government agencies.

He said the government was already working on water-related issues but argued that ordinary citizens also needed to change the habit of dumping waste into rivers.

His message is straightforward: cleaning a river once will not solve the problem if people continue treating the water body as a dumping ground.

That point has become an important part of the wider discussion around his campaign, particularly because the Ajnar's condition reflects a broader challenge faced by smaller rivers and urban water bodies.

Ajnar River Campaign Goes Viral

Bittu's before-and-after videos have helped bring his work to a much larger audience. Several news reports have highlighted the visible change in stretches of the Ajnar River, while industrialist Anand Mahindra has also praised the young student's determination. 

The attention has turned Bittu into a social-media figure, but the central issue behind the viral story remains the condition of the river itself.

Reports on the Ajnar describe stretches affected by accumulated plastic, garbage, algae and religious waste, with the pollution affecting the appearance and ecological condition of the water body. (NDTV India)

A Personal Campaign With a Wider Message

Bittu's effort has highlighted how individual action can draw attention to environmental problems that often receive limited public visibility.

At the same time, his story also raises a larger question: how can rivers remain clean after a cleanup campaign ends?

Bittu himself has argued that the responsibility ultimately has to be shared. Residents need to stop dumping waste, while local authorities and civic bodies must ensure regular waste management and protection of water bodies.

For now, the Rajgarh student's journey from cleaning a polluted river to receiving recognition from the Madhya Pradesh chief minister has given the Ajnar River a new level of public attention.

His campaign may have started with one person stepping into dirty water, but its larger message is that river conservation cannot be sustained without changes in everyday public behaviour.

The Madhya Pradesh government is set to launch a comprehensive scientific conservation and rejuvenation plan for the Betwa River under the Centre's Namami Gange Mission, with a special focus on reducing pollution in Bhopal, Raisen and Vidisha districts.

Officials said the initiative will go beyond routine river-cleaning activities and focus on restoring the river ecosystem through a long-term, science-based approach. The project aims to curb untreated sewage, industrial effluents, riverbank degradation and declining environmental flow while ensuring sustainable river management.

To facilitate the project, engineers and officials are currently undergoing technical training in Bhopal to prepare a detailed and scientifically designed Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Betwa River.

Conservation to begin from the most polluted stretches

According to officials associated with the Namami Gange Mission, the Betwa River originates from Jhiri village in the forests of Raisen district. However, soon after its origin, the river passes through Bhopal, Raisen and Vidisha, where increasing urbanisation and industrial activities have significantly affected water quality.

Authorities identified the stretch near Bhojpur, where the Kaliyasot River merges with the Betwa, as one of the most polluted sections. Similarly, the river near Mandideep has witnessed extensive growth of water hyacinth due to contamination and stagnant water conditions.

These pollution hotspots will receive priority under the proposed conservation programme.

Major focus on sewage treatment

One of the primary objectives of the project is to prevent untreated sewage from entering the Betwa River through the Kaliyasot River and other urban drains.

Engineers from urban local bodies in Bhopal, Raisen and Vidisha are receiving specialised training from technical experts on sewage management, wastewater treatment and pollution control measures to strengthen the implementation of the project.

The government believes that improving sewage infrastructure is essential for restoring the river's ecological health.

Industrial pollution in Mandideep under scrutiny

Officials noted that despite the establishment of a major industrial hub in Mandideep, a comprehensive sewage treatment system has yet to be developed.

As a result, untreated industrial wastewater continues to flow directly into the Betwa River, affecting both water quality and nearby agricultural land. The proposed DPR will recommend measures to stop industrial discharge and ensure proper treatment before wastewater enters the river.

The state government aims to restore the Betwa as a clean, uninterrupted and ecologically sustainable river system.

Scientific DPR to address multiple challenges

Officials said the DPR will cover far more than sewage management. It will include strategies for pollution control, wastewater and solid waste management, restoration of environmental flow, riverbank protection, biodiversity conservation, watershed management and greater public participation in river conservation.

The report will also address challenges such as untreated municipal sewage, industrial waste, riverbank erosion and shrinking ecological flow, which have emerged as major threats to the Betwa River.

Technical training for field officials

The government has identified district-level officers as key stakeholders in the success of the project.

Training programmes are being conducted to strengthen their capacity in data collection, inter-departmental coordination, stakeholder consultations and technical aspects of DPR preparation to ensure effective and time-bound implementation of the mission.

₹824.57 crore worth of Namami Gange projects already approved

Under the second phase of the Namami Gange Mission, the Central Government has already approved eight projects worth ₹824.57 crore for Madhya Pradesh, with 100 percent central funding.

These projects include sewage management works in Indore, Ujjain and Nagda, environmental improvement of the Shivna River in Mandsaur, rejuvenation and riverfront development of the Morar River in Gwalior, construction of ghats on the Mandakini River in Chitrakoot, and strengthening of laboratories operated by the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB).

Among them, the Kanh and Saraswati River Pollution Control Project in Indore, with an approved cost of ₹511.15 crore, is the largest initiative under the programme.

The Namami Gange Mission was launched by the Government of India in 2014 to conserve and rejuvenate the Ganga River. In its second phase, the programme was expanded to include major tributaries across several states, including Madhya Pradesh, where multiple river conservation projects are now being implemented.