IIM Ranchi Students Lead Multi-Stakeholder Cleanup Drive on the Subarnarekha River, Ranchi
· Free Press Journal
IIM Ranchi successfully organised the Subarnarekha River Cleanup Drive, a student-driven civic initiative conceived and executed by Pritika Paul, a second-year MBA student of the Integrated Programme in Management (IPM) and member of the IIM Ranchi Student Council. The initiative was undertaken as part of the Social Impact Practicum course under the guidance of Prof. Gaurav Manohar Marathe, Chairperson - Social Impact Committee.
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The initiative was also supported by Adarsh Alex Balmuchu (IPM, Third Year), IIM Ranchi, who served as a key member of the coordinating team and assisted in the on-ground execution of the drive.
The Subarnarekha River is one of Jharkhand’s most ecologically and culturally significant waterways, originating from the Chota Nagpur Plateau and flowing through Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha for nearly 395 kilometres before meeting the Bay of Bengal. The river plays a crucial role in groundwater recharge, supports local biodiversity, and sustains the livelihoods of over five million people who depend on the river basin. Its upper tributaries flow near the IIM Ranchi campus and through several urban settlements in Ranchi. Despite this significance, the river has been classified as critically polluted by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) due to unmanaged solid waste disposal, untreated sewage inflows, and agricultural runoff, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated civic and institutional action.
The cleanup drive was conducted along the riverbanks near Delhi Public School (DPS) Ranchi. More than 500 kilograms of waste were collected by participating students with logistical support from the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) during the drive. The initiative was intentionally designed not merely as a one-time volunteer effort but as a proof of concept for a recurring, institutionalised student-led sustainability movement in Ranchi.
The initiative aligns with four United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) - demonstrating how collaborative local action can contribute to global sustainability objectives.
The drive was made possible through a multi-stakeholder partnership, with each collaborator contributing a specific capability to the initiative. IIM Ranchi expressed its gratitude to Swachhata Pukare, the Jamshedpur-based environmental NGO that provided domain expertise for the programme. The institute also acknowledged Delhi Public School (DPS) Ranchi for becoming the first school partner in the initiative, nominating students from Classes IX-XII along with teachers to participate as sustainability ambassadors. IIM Ranchi also extends its appreciation to Ms. Sonaly Gupta, teacher at DPS Ranchi, for her support and encouragement in mobilising and mentoring student participants for the initiative.
IIM Ranchi also extended special appreciation to Orchid Medical Centre for ensuring participant health and safety by providing on-site first-aid support, medical supervision, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits for all participants. Thanks were extended to Mr. Siddhant Jain, Director; Mr. Akash Saha; and Nurse Suman Sourav for their active involvement in maintaining safety standards throughout the drive.
The Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) played a crucial role in coordinating post-cleanup waste pickup and formally accepting the collected waste through its official vehicles. IIM Ranchi expresses its sincere gratitude to Dr. Kiran Kumari, Assistant Public Health Officer, Ranchi Municipal Corporation, for her support and facilitation of municipal coordination for the initiative. Mr. Samsadh served as the on-ground coordinator from RMC during the drive.
Students from Delhi Public School, Ranchi, including Shashwat Shekhar (Class IX) and Rashmi Verma, Anahita Mattakkattu Vinod, Rishima Mishra, Jiya Goswami, Aditya Raj, Paridhi Jha, and Yatee Swaroopa (Class XI), participated as the inaugural school cohort in the Subarnarekha Cleanup Drive. They were accompanied by coordinating teachers Ms. Humility Minz and Mr. Prashant Prasad.
Speaking about the initiative, Pritika said: “This initiative is not about one river, or one day, or one batch of IIM Ranchi students. It is about proving that management education carries a civic obligation - and that the skills developed in the classroom are most meaningful when deployed in service of the communities that surround us. This is the first of many.”
The drive followed a structured four-step Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) - Collect, Segregate, Bag & Label, and RMC Pickup - designed from a managerial and systems-thinking perspective. Participants were also briefed on waste management practices, civic responsibility, and stakeholder coordination prior to the drive. Participation certificates were issued to all student and teacher volunteers.
The long-term vision of the initiative is to institutionalise the Subarnarekha Cleanup Drive as a recurring, semester-based, student-led sustainability movement in Ranchi, bringing together educational institutions, civic authorities, and community organisations to collectively work toward protecting the city’s natural ecosystems.