Lajme flash
A 21-year-old single-handedly cleaned up a river full of garbage in India, turning it into a green park
2026-09-07 11:34:00 / MISTERE&KURIOZITETE
A 21-year-old student in central India has done what many people considered impossible: he single-handedly set out to clean up a river that had become a garbage dump.
Surendra Singh Choudhary, known on social media as " Bittu Tabahi ", began in January entering the polluted waters of the Ajnar River, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, removing plastic, bottles, algae and waste of all kinds with his own hands.
At first, a few of his friends joined in the effort. But gradually, the cleanup became an almost solo mission. Even after the others withdrew, the 21-year-old continued to return to the river every day.
He told his parents he was playing cricket.
Choudhary is a university student in the small town of Biaora and lives with his parents. At first, to avoid worrying them, he would tell them he was going out to play cricket or meet friends. In reality, his destination was the river.
What prompted him to take this initiative was the deplorable condition of the river, which runs near a temple he often visited.
"Every time I went to the temple or passed by the river, I thought I had to clean it," the young man said. And so began a battle that would last for months.
He didn't even know how to swim.
Choudhary continued to work in various weather conditions, even during hot summer nights. He had no special safety equipment and, by his own admission, did not even know how to swim.
"I wanted to build a machine to clean the river, but I didn't have any money. I'm a student. So I thought I'd clean it as much as I could with my own hands," he said.
But the mission also came at a personal cost. Constant contact with polluted water caused infections, and the skin on his hands and feet began to peel off.
Together with friends, he raised money to buy the necessary equipment. Choudhary himself estimates that he spent about 30,000 rupees, or about 230 euros, on this endeavor. He also placed garbage bins near the river, without receiving any funding from the state.
From a small town to the world's attention
Photos and videos showing the river before and after the cleanup began circulating online. The 21-year-old student's story quickly spread beyond his hometown. Indian entrepreneur and Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra posted a video of his effort on social media after some people accused the young man of cleaning the river just to gain fame on social media.
"If the desire to get likes can be transformed into a force for good, then I have no problem with that," Mahindra wrote.
Former England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen also shared his story. He posted before-and-after photos of the river, describing the effort as:
"A heroic effort. Deserves international recognition."
Accusations that the photos were created by artificial intelligence Not everyone believed the story. Some internet users questioned the authenticity of the “before and after” photos, claiming that they were created by artificial intelligence. Choudhary responded to the criticism by posting evidence of his work over the months and showing the long effort that he had done practically single-handedly.
Faced with the story spreading, the local authorities of Biaora finally decided to support the initiative. They made machinery available to remove the large amounts of waste, while local residents also joined in the cleanup. But for the 21-year-old, cleaning the river is not the final solution.
"It's not enough to just take out the trash"
According to him, there is no point in cleaning the river if waste continues to be dumped back into the water.
Five large sewer pipes discharge sewage into the Biaora River. In addition, the river is polluted by objects and materials thrown into the water as part of some local religious customs, including flowers and other items. Choudhary collects some of this material and turns it into compost.
"I don't understand why people throw garbage in the river. I don't know why they do it. You can't stop them," he said. However, his effort has already begun to change the way the local community sees the river. And his story has attracted attention beyond India.
On Friday, Dutch inventor and founder of The Ocean Cleanup organization, Boyan Slat, responded to a post about the young man's work with just a few words:
“Come work with us.”
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh state chief minister Mohan Yadav met the 21-year-old at his residence in Bhopal and publicly praised his effort.
From a student telling his parents he was going out for cricket, to a young man who waded into a river filled with garbage with his bare hands, Choudhary's story has become an example of how sometimes a single person can initiate a change that then encompasses an entire community.
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