Our River Our Fight - Simple Minds Digital - Impact Marketing Agency

The Mula-Mutha River, once the lifeline of Pune, is today facing severe degradation, pollution, and growing disconnection from the people it serves. For many residents, the river is perceived as dirty, unsafe, and irrelevant to daily life. Yet, it remains a critical resource—supplying drinking water to the city, supporting irrigation, and playing a vital role in flood control during the monsoon season.

Despite continuous infrastructure and restoration efforts by government bodies and civic organizations, a major challenge persists:

Citizens remain largely unaware of ongoing institutional initiatives and local success stories.
Youth feel disconnected from governance and decision-making processes related to the river.
NGO and citizen-led efforts, though impactful, often lack scale and public visibility.
In the absence of widespread public ownership, issues such as plastic pollution, waste dumping, and ecological degradation continue unabated.

The Our River, Our Fight campaign by Yuva For Action, in partnership with Ecosan Services Foundation and Jeevitnadi – Living River Foundation, aims to bridge this gap. The campaign focuses on reconnecting Pune’s citizens—especially the youth—with the Mula-Mutha River and inspiring collective responsibility toward its long-term rejuvenation and sustainable future.

Campaign Highlights

Nadi Mahotsav 2025: Pune’s First River Festival

On 30th November 2025, Yuva For Action, in collaboration with the Pune Municipal Corporation, hosted Pune’s first-ever river festival. Nadi Mahotsav brought together over 3,000 citizens in a powerful show of solidarity for the Mula-Mutha River.

The festival featured:

One of Pune’s largest clean-up drives for the Mutha River, collecting over 290 tonnes of plastic and waste.
Street plays performed by NGOs, schools, colleges, and independent performing artists.
Interactive sessions with various nonprofit organizations.
A vibrant drum circle.
Dance performances, poetry readings, and other cultural activities.

The Guests of Honour included Shri Naval Kishore Ram, Municipal Commissioner – Pune Municipal Corporation; Shri Sachindra Pratap Singh, Commissioner (Education), Maharashtra State; Shri Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Pune Joint Police Commissioner; and Shri Sandeep Singh Gill, Superintendent of Police for Pune Rural. Along with the Founder of Yuva For Action, they collectively took the Swachhta Pledge, reaffirming their commitment to the cleanliness and rejuvenation of the Mula-Mutha River.

River ReThink: Pune’s Biggest Inter-College Challenge

River ReThink is Pune’s largest inter-college challenge on river health. Under this
competition, over 40 student teams from colleges across Pune are proposing solutions for key issues like Water Quality Monitoring Gap, Plastic and Solid Waste in the River, Loss of Biodiversity and Riverbank Health, Weak Community Connection, Policy and Governance Challenges, Citizen Responsibility for Sustainability and Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration.

Top 5 teams will be selected for a 6-month mentorship program and will pitch their pilot ideas to business leaders in a Shark Tank-style finale for potential funding.

What the competition offers for students

Mentorship from top environmentalists & business leaders
Funding to implement your pilot projects
National exposure through media and campaign platforms
Recognition at Pune’s largest river campaign
Impact: Be seen as a changemaker. Shape real solutions for your city.

Why Should Students Participate

Mentorship from top environmentalists & business leaders

Funding to implement your pilot projects

National Exposure through media and campaign platforms

Recognition at Pune’s largest river campaign

Impact:Be seen as a changemaker. Shape real solutions for your city.

How It Works ?

1. Register For The Competition – Form a Team of 3–5 students and Choose a Problem Statement
2. Submit Your Idea – Research about the problem statement and propose an innovative, scalable and actionable solution idea
3. Pitch to a jury of experts – Top 10 shortlisted teams will present to a jury of environmentalists, corporate leaders & PMC officials
4. Mentorship – Top 5 Teams will go through a 6-month mentorship program to build a pilot project plan
5. Grand Finale: Pitch your pilot project in a Shark Tank-style event, where business leaders can pledge funding

Register Your Team Before 10 th November 2025

Pune’s Largest River Clean Up Drive

We are organizing Pune’s largest river clean-up drive mobilizing college students, employees of top corporates, citizen groups, and volunteers to take direct action on the Mula–Mutha River. This initiative aims to remove visible waste from the river while showing the Pune city can come together for its river.

The clean-up will take place on both banks of the river, stretching from PMC headquarters to Garware Bridge.

23 rd November 2025

River Photography Festival

A creative platform to see the river through a new lens. We are inviting students to submit original photographs that tell the story of the Mula-Mutha showcasing the challenges and issues of the river.

Top entries will be exhibited at a leading Pune art gallery
Winners will receive cash prizes upto Rs 50,000
The finale will include a sustainability showcase, performances, and a keynote by a noted environmentalist

Details Coming Soon

Campaign Partners

Simple Minds Digital empowers changemakers with strategic storytelling, digital campaigns, and communication solutions for social impact.

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