By 2016, Guruo Ka Talab in Jodhpur had become a dumping ground. Flowers, idols, books, pictures, plastic and other materials were being discarded into the water.
Jeevraj Shrimali watched it happen in a city where the desert heat can make every drop of water feel precious. He decided to act.
What began at one pond 10 years ago has since grown into a decade-long effort to revive five neglected water bodies in Jodhpur.
Shrimali began by focusing on how people disposed of these materials. He started speaking to people visiting the pond about keeping waste out of the water and worked with the Jodhpur Municipal Corporation on cleaning drives. Separate bins were introduced so flowers, cloth and plastic could be collected rather than thrown into the pond.
He also installed CCTV cameras around the pond and, when he spotted people dumping waste, asked them to clean it up.
The aim was to make responsible disposal part of keeping the pond clean. Biodegradable material such as flowers could be handled separately, while cloth and other items could be sent for reuse or recycling. Some old cloth, for instance, was turned into small bags.
But changing disposal habits was one part of protecting the pond. Preventing the same pollution from returning also required civic and legal intervention.
In 2018, Shrimali and other residents filed a public interest litigation in the Rajasthan High Court, seeking protection for the pond. The petition specifically raised concerns over idol immersion and the dumping of glitter, clothes, coconut shells, bamboo, plastic and Plaster of Paris into the pond.
It also sought restrictions on bathing with soap and washing clothes there. In May 2019, the court disposed of the case after the Jodhpur Municipal Corporation submitted that it had cleaned the pond and taken measures to prevent idol immersion.
How one pond became a 10-year campaign
For Shrimali, each clean-up also had to prevent the same waste from returning.
Over about 10 years, that approach has expanded to five neglected ponds in Jodhpur, combining clean-up efforts with waste segregation, recycling, awareness and measures intended to prevent fresh pollution.
Pandit Jeevraj Shrimali began working to keep religious waste out of Guruo Ka Talab in Jodhpur, which had turned into a dumping ground by 2016.
Reported figures put the waste removed from the five ponds at more than five tonnes, while more than 350 trees have reportedly been planted around them. These figures have not been independently audited, so they are best treated as reported totals rather than verified measurements.
For idol immersion, separate tanks have been created beside the water bodies, keeping the material from entering the ponds directly. This has allowed the work to focus on preventing fresh pollution alongside periodic clean-ups.
Over about a decade, Shrimali has worked to revive five neglected ponds in Jodhpur, combining clean-ups with waste segregation, recycling and community awareness.
Shrimali has also continued to pursue other sources of pollution around the pond. In 2023, he filed another public interest petition concerning illegally constructed soak pits on pond land and a street drainage opening leading into the water body.
Making cleaner ponds a shared habit
Shrimali’s work has centred on a practical idea: keeping a pond clean depends on changing the habits around it too.
In August 2026, Shrimali received the Veer Durgadas Rathore Samman in recognition of his environmental conservation work and efforts to clean natural water sources.
He has also been associated with the Jodhpur Municipal Corporation’s cleanliness and environmental awareness efforts.
To prevent idol immersion from polluting the ponds, immersion tanks were created beside the water bodies, allowing devotees to continue the ritual without adding waste to the water.
His decade of work points to a practical challenge in restoring water bodies: machinery can remove waste, but keeping it out requires people to change what they do around the water. Across the country, citizen-led water conservation has shown that revival often depends on sustained community participation.
The same principle has shaped several community efforts to revive lakes and grassroots water conservation elsewhere in India, where residents have taken responsibility for water sources long after the initial clean-up.
For Shrimali, that responsibility begins with how discarded materials are handled after use. Flowers, cloth and other materials do not have to become pond waste or enter the same water people hope will sustain them.
Ten years, five ponds and years of conversations later, his work keeps returning to the same civic choice: once a shared water body is cleaned, protecting it depends on what people do next.
About the campaign
This story is part of The Better India’s #CivicSenseHeroes, a year-long nationwide campaign celebrating citizens who take responsibility for the places and communities we all share. From cleaner streets and safer roads to restored lakes and public spaces, we’re looking for everyday Indians turning civic sense into action. Know someone doing work like this? Nominate your Civic Sense Hero here.
Sources
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‘Pandit Jeevraj Shrimali Spent 10 Years Reviving Jodhpur’s Polluted Ponds Through Community Conservation Efforts‘: by Nidhi Premi for The Logical Indian, Published on 2 September, 2026
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‘This Pandit from Jodhpur is using discarded pooja items in a unique way, and this is why everyone should read his story‘: by Smita Mishra for Times of India, Published on 2 April, 2026
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‘Jeevraj Shrimali vs State Of Rajasthan‘: by Rajasthan High Court, Published on 8 May, 2019
