NEW DELHI: A monitoring committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal has directed that a Delhi government official visit Surat and learn how to effectively manage idol immersions by ensuring no harmful chemicals or items are dumped into the Yamuna.
In a re
port submitted to NGT, the two-member monitoring committee, which includes retired expert member BS Sajwan and former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra, expressed concern over the toxic water post-immersion in the Yamuna and asked Delhi to follow the Tapti example, where the administration ensured that no idol was immersed in the 2018 festive season. “The time from January until March should be used to plan effective management with the goal of controlling toxicity in the river… The divisional commissioner may consider visiting Surat along with the relevant police special or joint commissioner to get a first-hand idea of how things were managed there,” the committee has written to the Delhi government. Authorities in Surat ensured that no idol was immersed in the Tapti river. All 60,000-plus idols were immersed either in 22 artificial ponds or at sea. According to experts, steps taken by the city administration of Surat, Ahmedabad and Rajkot should be studied to understand how the Ganapati immersion was managed there. Recommended By Colombia “Delhi needs to create sufficient artificial ponds before issuing a notification that only designated ponds will be permitted. Instead of banning things, people should be made aware of the health hazards of high levels of heavy metal and faecal coliform that take place post-immersion to justify preventive steps, which the public should understand is for their protection,” it said. In 2018, after idol immersion of Durga Puja and Ganesh Chaturthi, organic pollution such as Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) increased due to human influence and puja ingredients. Concentration of heavy metals increased in the river due to immersion of painted or polished idols with metallic ornaments and shiny materials, a Central Pollution Control Board report stated.
After Durga Puja immersion, chromium increased from the Bureau of India Standards limit (0.05 mg/l) by 11 times; iron concentration increased from BIS limit (0.3 mg/l) by 71 times; and lead increased from BIS limit (0.01 mg/l) by two times in the Yamuna. After Ganesh Chaturthi immersion, arsenic increased from the BIS limit (0.01 mg/l) by 3 times; chromium increased by 2.8 times; copper concentration increased from BIS limit (0.05 mg/l) by 1.6 times; iron concentration increased by 331 times; lead increased to 25 times; nickel increased from BIS limit (0.02 mg/l) to 4 times and mercury increased from BIS limit (0.001 mg/l) by 0.6 times in the Delhi stretch of the river.
By Ritam Halder|TNN|28 Jan 2019|
