Arjun Santhosh was born and brought up on Perumbalam island in Alappuzha surrounded by the waters of Vembanad Lake, one of the most polluted waterbodies in the country. On Sunday, the 21-year-old swam a 32-km stretch across the lake from Vaikom to Panangad non-stop with the sole objective of raising awareness about the conservation of waterbodies.
Began at 8.50 a.m., it took Arjun four hours and 50 minutes to complete the challenge. “I did this not to secure any records but to create awareness on the importance of protecting our waterbodies. Many of them are in highly degraded state due to plastic pollution and other contamination,” he says.
“Besides being a major source of drinking water for humans, the lives of several plants and animals too depend on waterbodies. A large number of people hinge on waterbodies like Vembanad Lake for livelihood. We should stop polluting waterbodies and protect them for a better future,” says Arjun, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at a college in Idukki.
Arjun started swimming at the age of four, coached by his father Santhosh P.G., in Vemabanad Lake in front of his house. Nowadays he practices for 5-6 hours daily while at home.
He made his first swimming challenge while studying in Class V. The boy swam a 5-km stretch from Poochakkal to Perumbalam as part of the Democratic Youth Federation of India’s campaign against lake pollution.
‘Swimming protest’
When Arjun was in Class VIII, he swam 2.75 km daily for 10 days to school demanding the construction of a bridge connecting Perumbalam island to the mainland. He stopped the “swimming protest” after the district administration decided to prepare a proposal for the bridge. In 2021, he swam 21 km from Perumbalam to near Kerala High Court to create awareness about water pollution.
Arjun wants the message to reach as many people as possible and has already started preparations for his next challenge- to swim 135 km from Fort Kochi to Kollam. “If everything goes as planned, I might do the challenge in April. I hope to raise awareness about ocean conservation,” he says.
His father, Mr. Santhosh, himself has undertaken several long-distance swimming challenges in the past for environmental causes.
