Yamuna chokes on toxins as puja samitis flout norms (Time of India 07 October 2011)

Jayashree Nandi, TNN Oct 7, 2011, 05.24AM IST jayashree.nandi @timesgroup.com
New Delhi: As Durga idols slowly sank into the Yamuna, nostalgia hung heavy and so was an overbearing stench over the ghats. The muddy, smelly waters along the Kalindi Kunj ghat were choked as hundreds of idols were hauled up by cranes and immersed. Plastic bottles, packets, thermocol and ornaments of goddesses were washed ashore in the ebb and flow.
Though most organizers claimed idols were decked up with herbal color, hardly anyone followed immersion guidelines. Toxic dyes and insoluble material sunk into the polluted waters, which drastically brings down the biological oxygen demand levels of aquatic life. Clothes or ornaments were also not removed in clear violation of the norms.
"The water is already polluted. I don't think it's only because of use of chemical colours or the large number of idols immersed," said Moloy Das, a member of Ashoka Enclave 3 puja committee in Faridabad.
Member of South Delhi immersion committee, Anjan Mukherjee, said eco-idols is the trend this year. "Most of our registered members said they have used herbal colours. There is no way we could monitor this. And going by the promise, pollution should be low this year. We have also created separate enclosures to dump non-biodegradable material like ornaments, plastic and thermocol. Last year, we received several complaints that dumping of plastic had affected fish culture. Most of the violators are unregistered members," he said.
Artistes of the Cooperative Ground Durga Puja Samiti for instance said they had used vegetable dyes and clay from the Yamuna and Ganga, Many puja samitis also claimed to have used minimal paint. But majority of the samitis had flouted guidelines and used toxic lead-based colours.
"Some organizers have shifted to eco-colours. But most colours contain heavy metals and toxins. And not all immersions take place at Wazirabad, many idols are taken upstream. This leads to toxins trickling into the water works.
Most idols remain afloat for months due to the kind of material used. The number of puja pandals have also increased. We have to find other ways to deal with it," said Ravi Agarwal of Toxic Link, an NGO working on toxic pollution.
Durga puja organisers say authorities need to maintain strict vigil on the day of immersion. Some devotees who flocked the ghats couldn't believe it was a river. "Look at the state of the river. Chemicals and waste have killed it. Immersion is not the sole reason for pollution. The river is under too much pressure," said Shobhit Mukherjee, who came with his friends to watch the event.
Communities living around Kalindi Kunj ghat say clean water is needed at least for the immersion ritual as it has tremendous religious and cultural significance. Vikas Paswan, a boatman, said,
"We have been living here for a decade. Each year, the water gets more polluted. Even human excreta is let out into the Yamuna. The water here is frothing with industrial waste from factories and the stench is because of the heavy inflow of drain water. I really wish there was clean water to bid farewell to our gods."