Hidden on a beaten down side-road, the centre is home to more than 1000 turtles and tortoises. Some of the turtles were hatched in the center and will spend two years in the enclosures before being released into the Ganga. These eggs come from the Chambal, but those working at the centre say as many of 60 percent of the eggs don’t survive transportation.
Other turtles and tortoises were rescued from poachers. After healing for a few months, they will be set back into the waters.

The Ganga is heavily polluted, and efforts to clean it up haven’t been very effective. Though the government has spent Rs. 3,000 crore on the river’s condition in the last two years, sewage drains and discharge from factories continue to empty directly into the river. Data from the Central Pollution Control Board reveals that in 2013, more than 760 factories dumping waste water into the river.
At the ghats, Aarti ceremonies are also contributing to the river’s pollution. Garlands, candles and plastic bottles end up in the Ganga. Funerary rights, including cremation and bodies placed into the river leave rotting and charred flesh behind.
That’s where the turtles come in. These creatures play a role in cleaning up the Ganga. The carnivorous turtles eat rotting flesh, while the herbivorous turtles
Of course, turtles aren’t enough to clean up the river. They just play one part in a complex process that needs to be approached at multiple levels.
Many of the turtles are brought to the breeding centre to save them from poaching. Turtle meat is prized in some parts of the country, which has brought some species to the brink of extinction.
And environmentalists largely say the plan to have turtles clean the Ganga has failed. The turtles continue to be heavily poached and sand mining disrupts nesting grounds in different parts of the country. At the same time, with so many industries dumping into the river, it’s not the release of 1,000 or so turtles released every year that will make a difference.

Video: The Quint
Music: Big Bang Fuzz