Community Ganesh Puja resolves not to do river immersion

As you prepare for the traditional river immersion this Ganesh Puja, here comes an eco-friendly news. An expat Odiya community in New Delhi has decided not to pollute the river Yamuna but immerse the idol in an "environment-friendly manner" at a makeshift community pond.

The community will create the makeshift pond on the immersion day only - that falls on September 20 - and will shut the pond the same day in the evening.

"We have decided to contribute to the Yamuna Bachao Abhiyan, or Save the Yamuna Campaign, launched by the government by "breaking the traditional culture of visarjan (immersion) in the already polluted river," said Biswajit Barik, president of the Sarbajanina Kalinga Association.

"We will dissolve the idol in our park in a specially-constructed pond. This way, we will be not only saving the Yamuna river from pollution but also protecting the environment," Barik told IANS.

For this purpose, the association has taken permission from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) that will oversee the cleanliness arrangements.

"Since there is a threat of dengue, we will get the fogging and cleanliness done beforehand to avoid mosquito breeding in the pond or nearby area," Barik emphasised.

He said he and other members of the association were appealing to other Ganesh Puja committees to follow the same environment-friendly path and contribute in saving the Yamuna.

With the Ganesh Puja - that falls on September 17 followed by idol immersion on September 20 - to be followed Durga Puja and then Kali Puja, hundreds of idols are immersed in the Yamuna river - as in rivers in other parts of the country - and end up choking already polluted rivers.

It is not yet known how many puja committees will follow the example of the Kalinga Association and whether authorities will put some kind of restriction on idol immersion this year in view of the joint campaign by the union and Delhi government to clean up the river.