BHOPAL: Surendra Singh Choudhary, the student and clean-up champion from Madhya Pradesh’s Biaora city, better known to his netizen followers as Bittu Tabahi, is literally paying the price for his lonely crusade against public littering.The second-year B.Sc student, who previously lamented repeated waste dumping in Ajnar river after every cleaning, urging greater public empathy and support, has developed persistent skin issues in his hands and legs. In fact, such is the severity of the pain and skin irritation that he has to depend on medication every night before sleep, his price for a waste-free Ajnar.Bittu set out on his solitary clean-up mission on Jan 26, 2026, removing plastic bottles, bags, algae and other waste from a clogged stretch of the Ajnar river, using basic tools and, at times, his bare hands. His effort soon got noticed, as before-after pictures and videos, attesting to his noble effort, went viral winning him global praise.However, the physical toll of his mission is now starting to tell on him, as Bittu said prolonged contact with contaminated water and waste has affected his skin, putting him in considerable discomfort.“The constant itching and pain in my hands and legs is causing me immense discomfort,” the 21-year-old told TOI, adding, “I have to take medicines every night before sleep, so I can wake up next morning and head back to the river. I know if I give up now, the waste will keep piling up on the river and all my effort will come to nought.”His parents are also worried about his health and have urged him to keep away from the river. Bittu, however, is determined to soldier on but would rather that his parents not know that he’s still involved in the river clean-up.“My parents are deeply concerned about my health,” he said, adding, “They don’t want me to enter the dirty waters and pick waste. This is why I haven’t told them that I am still involved in this effort and would rather keep it that way. I don’t want them to lose sleep worrying about me, but I also can’t bear to watch the river turning a dump time and time again.”Bittu’s concerns are not unfounded. After he spent months turning up tonnes of solid and plastic waste from the affected river stretch, reports came out in Oct about how plastic and other litter had begun accumulating again in the stretch he had restored.He said the river’s relapse into a dump was particularly heartbreaking as he had laboured without govt machinery, institutional funding or a formal campaign.“I did not take this initiative to win online praise. I did it as the river is built into our city’s character and identity and I couldn’t stand the sight of garbage accumulating on its waters. But when I see plastic and other kinds of litter being dumped again and again, it feels like all my hard work is going to waste,” Bittu told TOI.He had installed trash bins near the riverbank at his own expense to discourage dumping, but added that littering in the waters was continuing regardless.Despite the physical toll and emotional strain, Bittu said he will not abandon Ajnar. “My body is hurting, but my resolve is not defeated,” he said, adding, “As long as there is even a drop of waste, I will do everything in my power to remove it. My only request to the people is not to throw garbage in the waters. If people become more aware and give me the support I need, no student will have to risk his health cleaning these waters.”While Bittu is not giving up yet, the enormity of his task demands far more than individual volunteerism. It calls for sustained municipal support, waste-management infrastructure and public awareness and involvement.