Gloves snap over eager hands as volunteers move along the edge of a lake, their garbage bags rustling in the breeze. 

Some kneel near the lake’s edge, scooping out layers of soggy plastic, while others tie wide nets to poles, lowering them into the murky water and pulling them back heavy with wrappers, bottles, and rotting debris, as if they are fishing for waste instead of fish. 

It’s an unusual sight: young people turning a polluted water body back into its clean glory. This lake in Kota, Rajasthan, has long drawn visitors, yet neglect has left it choked with filth. Now, the clatter of collected rubbish hitting the sacks signals the beginning of its revival.

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