“No flooding” in Udvada

"The rains have been very tough on Udvada this year… just like Bombay… But there has been no flooding… Have you seen any viral videos of flooding this year from the village?” asked Filly Bapuna, trustee of the Clean and Green Charitable Trust (CGCT) which cleans the village that houses the sacred Iranshah. He was speaking to Parsiana on September 22, 2022 on the continued efforts of the Trust (see "A collaborative clean-up,” Parsiana, June 21-July 6, 2022). "The private contractors are doing an excellent job of cleaning the nallahs (drains)… All overgrown shrubbery has been removed,” he added. A group of vigilant "30-40 volunteers in different localities” watches out for any garbage issues. They make calls to the contractor’s person if they see anything that needs attention. "Our area includes all surroundings for five kilometers around the village…We do not restrict ourselves to Parsi areas,” Bapuna reiterated.

Top: A street in Udvada; above: cleaning operations on the beach

The CGCT is currently preoccupied with removal of debris from Udvada beach left behind or brought in by the sea after the Ganapati immersions last month. "We have cleared about 15 to 20 truckloads in four or five days,” says Bapuna who walks on the seashore daily when in Udvada. Of the one-and-a-half kilometer stretch, "We have done about half…Now that we have a JCB machine (for efficient scooping of debris), thanks to the gram panchayat, things may go faster.” Bapuna rued that "no volunteers have joined up” physically in the cleaning efforts.
Remarking that stray cattle have been a phenomenon for the last five to seven years, Bapuna jested, "People are more scared of (hurting) the cows than of the cops.” He is looking for a donor who can "provide about one acre of land” for a cow shelter. "Maybe a nongovernmental organization can help too,” he mused.
The Trust has expanded its scope beyond hygiene, having recently distributed stationery to about 540 school children at the two schools in the village, and provided bird feeders in the primary school to inculcate a love for nature. "The children bring some grains from home” to feed the birds. Resident Zenobia Bhomisha conducts informal English classes for the primary school children, Bapuna noted.
"We have a surplus of about seven lakh rupees right now… enough to sustain us for a year,” stated the businessman-cum-social activist, adding that the Trust has received its Section 80G certification. Interested donors can contact Bapuna on +91 9820056129.