A sincere attempt by a girl from Class VIII at the government school in Kodagarahalli, Suntikoppa, has contributed to the local stream's preservation. Her Science project garnered her the respect of the district police and administration, who ordered the installation of CCTV cameras to conserve a local stream that was in terrible condition.
The student, Shreesha AS, who attends the Kodagarahalli Suntikoppa Nadu Government High School, is the daughter of Suntikoppa residents Shiju and Sandhya.
Having been nominated to represent the school at the 31st National Children's Science Convention, she achieved the title of Young Scientist following her presentation on the subject of Pollution Across River Banks, The New Indian Express reports.
A majority of the participants at the convention used the help of the internet to prepare their projects. However, Shreesha attempted to do her best for her project by going a step ahead.
Shreesha took her father’s help and visited the nearest stream in her locality to collect information for her project. She surveyed the Haraduru stream near Suntikoppa and collected details on the stream and how important it is for the locality. Through bytes she recorded from the locals, she learnt that the stream has been sustaining the locality for ages.
But her survey also made her aware of the depressing situation at the stream, as she discovered a tonne of plastic and other waste discarded by the banks. Locals as well as tourists were polluting the stream with products ranging from plastic debris to coffee pulp waste.
Shreesha put together the story and filed a report with the local panchayat, district police, and district administration on the appalling state of the water body. Her sincere attempts convinced Superintendent of Police (SP) K Ramarajan to place employees at the stream's location to discourage littering.
To prevent trash from being dumped along the banks of the water body, the administration has also mandated that the local organisation install CCTV cameras. Shreesha organised a community awareness campaign with the help of her classmates' assistance while urging the locals to take responsibility for maintaining the stream.
