Leading by example, a group of national and international paddlers while enjoying kayaking, a water sport during the eighth edition of three-day Chaliyar River Paddle in Kerala, collected 1,350 kilograms of garbage from the river. This event is organised annually to protect Chaliyar and promote water adventure.

All the material that has been collected will be segregated and recycled in collaboration with Green Worms in Kozhikode.

The waste collection drive in the river and its quantum has made the children, public and locals of the region aware of the need to protect the river from pollution and curb dumping of waste in it.

Apart from collection, awareness classes on river conservation were also organised for the students of different schools in the areas close to the Chaliyar river. Children and people were also introduced to water sports.

Paddlers numbering 100 from Australia, Singapore, Russia, the UK and Germany participated in this long-distance kayaking awareness trip. The youngest paddlers were 13-year-old from Kozhikode’s Cheruvannur and Mumbai’s Ovi Nair Shafiam while the oldest was Karl Damschen from Germany who is 80.

Eight of the participants were women.

The group led by well-known Russian kayaker Anton Seshnnikov, paddled through 68 kilometres of the Chaliyar river using varied types of kayaks, canoes and stand-up paddles. Among the Indian participants there was Sweta Shervegar, Asian Games medallist.

The event was organised by Kozhikode-based Jellyfish Water Sports Club in collaboration with Kerala Tourism Department.