Indian Youth Who Cleaned Polluted River Receives Job Offer from Dutch Environmentalist

Surendra Singh Choudhary, a 20 year old from Madhya Pradesh known as Bittu Tabahi, has received a job offer from Boyan Slat, the founder of the Netherlands based organization The Ocean Cleanup. The offer came after Slat responded to a post on X featuring Choudhary's efforts to clean the polluted Ajnar River in Biaora. Slat replied to the post with the message: Come work for us.

Choudhary, a BSc student, began cleaning the river on January 26. He has documented his progress through Instagram videos showing the removal of plastic waste, algae, and debris. According to digital content creator KR Talks, Choudhary has spent approximately 30,000 rupees on the cleanup. While he initially worked alone, the Biaora municipal corporation eventually provided support using JCB and Poclain machines to remove large amounts of waste.

Choudhary's work previously earned praise from industrialist Anand Mahindra in March, who defended the young man against critics who claimed he was cleaning the river solely for social media views. The Ocean Cleanup, founded by Slat, aims to remove 90 percent of floating ocean plastic by 2040.

Reporting on the event differed slightly in focus. A center leaning outlet highlighted the negative reactions of some social media users who urged Choudhary to leave India, describing the country as a hellhole. A center right leaning outlet focused more on Choudhary's personal motivations and the eventual support he received from the local municipal corporation.