The sacred and the polluting

Ganesh festivities can be made more environment-friendly

As the Ganesh festivities reach their peak, it may be useful to remember the recent guidelines issued by the Gujarat state government to control water pollution during the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. The move had evoked mixed reactions. While a section of citizens termed it another publicity gimmick, environmentalists have generally welcomed the proposal, albeit with the caveat that it should have been issued much earlier.

Taking a cue from similar guidelines prepared by the Central Pollution Control Board CPCB, the guidelines make it mandatory for all Ganesh idols to be made of clay and not of plaster of paris. It also advises idol-makers to use natural colours instead of chemical colours for their statues.

Nobody can deny the necessity of instituting such measures, given the potential hazards these idols pose to the environment. We need only to remember what happened last October on Mumbai8217;s Juhu beach. It was inundated by thousands of dead fish of every possible size. While no one from the state8217;s fisheries department, or for that matter from its pollution control department, had the courage to investigate into the issue, it is possible that the increase in levels of pollution following the immersion of thousands of idols into the sea in September could have played a role in the destruction of these fish.

Interestingly, a study of pollution levels in the Yamuna in September done by the Central Pollution Control Board IE, September 13, 2005 had thrown some light on this phenomenon. It had clearly underlined how immersion increases the quantity of metals and decreases the dissolved oxygen in the water, thus leading to the ultimate choking of the river. It was observed that while the concentration of mercury in the river was almost nil in other periods, it went up during the festive season after the immersion of the idols. The CPCB informs us that the Capital witnesses around 1,700 immersions every year. Given the enormous popularity of the Ganesh festival in Mumbai, one can only imagine the extent of damage done by the immersions in that city.

Of course, things are slowly changing and citizens are getting more aware about the inherent dangers of this 8216;sacred8217; pollution. Responding to a petition filed in the Chennai high court that clearly stated that 8220;the sea and other water resources are poisoned by chemicals used to make the Ganesh idols and the practice should be banned8221;, the honourable court did indeed impose a temporary ban on immersions.

We should evolve ways to observe our religious rituals in a manner that is in harmony with the environment.