UP man braves venomous snakes, broken glass to clean Ganga by himself, shares videos

A man from Uttar Pradesh took it upon himself to clean the river Ganga, spending his days pulling trash out of the water despite the risks involved and even searching for work to fund his mission.

Instagram user Shivam Kumar, a content creator and vlogger who said he had dedicated his life to cleaning the polluted river, shared videos documenting his ongoing efforts. His posts showed him spending hours along the banks and in the water, picking up waste that had been dumped into the river.

In one video, Shivam showed himself removing piles of trash while speaking about his efforts to keep the Ganga clean. He also shared a clip of a woman dumping bags of waste into the river, expressing frustration that despite his efforts, people continued to pollute the water.

Shivam said he had been working to clean the Ganga since last year and described the task as a daily battle against piles of waste. He also pointed out that the pollution was putting the creatures living in the river at risk. He captioned the post “Clean Ganga Day.”

His other videos offered a closer look at what he encountered during his clean-up drives. Broken glass bottles, cardboard boxes, discarded clothes and food waste were among the items he pulled out of the river. Wearing little more than a pair of rubber gloves, Shivam repeatedly returned to the water to continue collecting the garbage.

But keeping up the clean-up effort also came with a financial challenge. In another video, Shivam was seen walking from one shop to another in search of work. He explained that he needed a source of income to support his efforts to clean the Ganga and fund what he described as his passion.

The videos also showed some of the hazards he faced while carrying out the work. At times, he walked through areas littered with broken glass while wearing chappals. In another encounter, he came across venomous water snakes while working around the river.

Despite the difficult conditions, Shivam continued documenting his clean-up drives and returning to the river to remove more waste. His videos offered a glimpse of the effort involved in cleaning a waterway that continues to receive garbage from people using its banks.

His efforts also received praise from viewers, with several users appreciating the fact that he had taken responsibility for cleaning the river instead of simply speaking about the problem.

Some praised his consistency and determination, while others admired his willingness to continue the work despite the difficult and potentially dangerous conditions.

Viewers also expressed concern over the amount of waste he encountered and criticised people for continuing to dump garbage into the Ganga. Many felt that keeping the river clean could not be left to individuals like Shivam alone and that people needed to take greater responsibility for their own waste.- EndsPublished By: Yashna TalwarPublished On: Sep 11, 2026 14:07 IST