“Pollution of Ganga again in focus” by Times of India
The Times of India
September 13, 2011
KANPUR: ‘Ganesh Utsav’ culminated on Sunday with the immersion of hundreds of idols of Lord Ganesh into the holy Ganga. But once again, the burning issue of pollution came into sharp focus.
Much hue and cry is raised every year before Ganesh visarjan and immersion of Goddess Durga idols after Durga Puja festival, but no remedial measures are taken to stop the river from decaying. Neither the district administration, nor those fighting for it, take initiative to check the immersion of idols.
Various ghats, including Sarsaiyya and Gola, were left untidy after hundreds of Ganesh idols were immersed into river Ganga on Sunday.
A senior KNN official admitted of not initiating any move to save the holy river Ganga and environmental repercussion caused by the immersion of idols. “It is the responsibility of district administration and we cannot find a solution to this problem,” he maintained. And once again the agencies concerned continued to watch the deterioration of the river Ganga, fearing a backlash from the devotees.
The monitoring of water carried out by Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) after ‘Ganesh Utsav’ last year, it was found that the level of dissolve oxygen had gone comparatively down against the standard norms. “There was 2 to 3 per cent of decrease in the level of dissolved oxygen in the water,” UPPCB official said. The experts of UPPCB did not rule out with the possibility of the idol immersion to be the prime reason for decrease in dissolved oxygen level.
According to a scientific officer, the water experiencing a rise in acidity as well as traces of heavy metal, depletes the process of metabolism and photosynthesis in the biotas and planktons in the river. Thus playing havoc with the marine life, killing large number of fish.
The ground reality being that the idols made of plaster of Paris and painted with chemical colours deteriorate the quality of water and increases pollution. No initiative was taken during the immersion of Ganesh idols to save the river from pollution. And once again after a period of 25 days, huge idols of Goddess Durga would be immersed.
The decision of burying the idols into the sand bed has gone for a toss as the devotees against it. The idols were immersed into the river.
The painful reality remains that the co-existence of worship and defilement of the Ganga defies logic and leaves observers confused.
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