Children in Gaya join a rally on World Environment Day. Picture by Suman

Activists in the town launched a 11-day foot march on World Environment Day to save the Falgu riverbed from encroachment and pollution.

On Wednesday, the activists from different voluntary organisations started from Ghodaghat in Dobhi block, around 50km south of the Gaya district headquarters. Covering around 80km, the march — Falgu Bachao Padayatra — will end on June 15 at Vanavar in Belaganj block, around 27km from Gaya town.

Jagat Bhushan, a member of Ekta Parishad, said: “The march will cover around 80km. At least 25 activists will take out the procession along the banks of the river every day and meet people in the villages falling by the riverside.”

At least six blocks of Gaya district — Dobhi, Mohanpur, Bodhgaya, Manpur, Gaya town and Belaganj — will be covered during the march. The activists will hold meetings with the villagers to spread awareness about the need to save the Falgu, which is visited by lakhs of devotees for pinddaan, from encroachment and pollution.

A team of Bihar State Pollution Control Board had inspected the river in 2011 on directions of the chief minister after a social worker, Brijnandan Pathak, had drawn Nitish Kumar’s attention towards the problems. In June last year, the panel submitted a report to Nitish mentioning encroachment of the riverbed by houses and the ensuing pollution.