Photos: Yamuna neck deep in trash after Durga Puja idol immersion

A polluted Yamuna river bank near ISBT in New Delhi. The Yamuna is once again in a terrible state as a result of the immersion after the Durga puja festivities. There are hundreds of puja pandals in Delhi and in spite of the guidelines issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), most continue to flout them with impunity. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

Updated on: Oct 04, 2017 4:38 PM IST

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A polluted Yamuna river bank near ISBT in New Delhi. The Yamuna is once again in a terrible state as a result of the immersion after the Durga puja festivities. There are hundreds of puja pandals in Delhi and in spite of the guidelines issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), most continue to flout them with impunity. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

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With nearly 200 Durga Puja pandals immersing idols near Delhi-NCR, the river water was clogged with plastic bags, flower petals and pooja material, besides metal structures. (Money Sharma / AFP)

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Debris along the Yamuna ghat after immersion of Durga Puja idols near ISBT Kashmere Gate in north Delhi. The National Green Tribunal in 2015 had banned immersion of idols made from non-biodegradable material, such as quick- setting gypsum plaster, also known as Plaster of Paris, or plastic in the Yamuna. (Arvind Yadav / HT PHOTO)

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Earlier this year, the Uttarakhand High Court had declared the Ganga and Yamuna as living entities, bestowing on them same legal rights as a person, a move to clean the pollution-choked rivers. (Virendra Singh Gosain/HT PHOTO)

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Workers from flood control department remove idols from the riverbed. Child scavengers, treasure hunters and MCD’s clean-up teams throng Delhi’s Yamuna Ghats during the immersion period. Some look for remains of idols for resale and reuse, others hunt for jewellery and coins in the debris. (Sanchit Khanna / HT PHOTO)

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Since there is no testing of materials that are used in the manufacture of idols and puja committees are not under pressure to conform to the guidelines, every year the problem recurs, causing even more damage to a river that is already in its death throes. (Arvind Yadav / HT PHOTO)

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According to CR Babu, an ecologist who is part of the seven member committee appointed by the NGT says, ‘Compliance is very poor. I don’t think anybody has been fined for not using biodegradable materials since the order.’ (Sanchit Khanna / HT PHOTO)