A national-level environmental conference linked to the Alvas Virasat–Nudisiri 2027 festival will focus on preventing waste from entering the Phalguni, Nandini and Shambhavi rivers and reaching the sea, with a sustainable waste management model planned across more than 50 villages in their catchment areas.
The ‘Hasiru Samvada’ conference will be held on January 6 and 7, 2027, during the wider festival organised by the Alvas Education Foundation from January 6 to 10. More than 800 people are expected to participate in discussions on coastal environmental protection, scientific waste management and community involvement in building sustainable environmental systems.
Announcing the programme at a press conference, Alvas Education Foundation president Dr M Mohan Alva said the initiative would establish systems for waste segregation, collection, scientific processing and recycling at the village level. The stated aim is to reduce the flow of waste into the three rivers by working with village panchayats, local organisations and residents.
The proposed model places local institutions and communities at the centre of waste management. According to the foundation, discussions will be held with village panchayats, community groups and the public to increase participation in environmental protection. The source report did not specify the names of all participating villages, the agencies responsible for implementation or the financial arrangements for the proposed systems.
The programme will also include students through an initiative called ‘Chota Cop’. Activities planned under the initiative include a clean village competition, an environmental awareness reels competition, student-led activities and awareness programmes. The organisers said the objective is to encourage school and college students to participate in efforts to protect local water systems.
A ‘Clean Village’ award will be given to a village that succeeds in effectively preventing plastic waste from entering a river. Students who make a special contribution to environmental protection will receive ‘Waste Warriors’ awards, the foundation said.
The focus on the Phalguni, Nandini and Shambhavi catchments connects village-level waste practices with coastal pollution. Waste discarded or inadequately processed inland can move through waterways towards the sea, making collection, segregation and treatment at the source important components of the proposed approach. However, the announcement did not provide targets for waste reduction, details of existing waste quantities, monitoring mechanisms or a timeline for assessing the model’s performance.
The conference is expected to bring together participants around environmental protection, scientific waste management and community participation. The foundation has not yet announced the full list of speakers, participating institutions or the detailed schedule for the two-day event.
The press conference was also attended by Venugopal Shetty, secretary of Nudisiri Virasat 2027, and executive committee member Prasad Shetty. The next stated milestone is the ‘Hasiru Samvada’ conference on January 6 and 7, 2027, when the organisers are expected to present the initiative and its community-focused waste management plans.
