Flour lamps to curb pollution in Narmada in MP

Flour lamps to curb pollution in Narmada in MP

Indore, In a bid to check rising pollution in the Narmada river, regarded as the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, an initiative has been launched to provide lamps made of flour to devotees at the Omkareshwar Jyotirlinga shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva, officials said on Friday.

Flour lamps to curb pollution in Narmada in MP

They said the effort seeks to combine religious faith with environmental conservation.

According to officials, under the tradition of offering lamps, many devotees float oil lamps in plastic bowls in the Narmada at Omkareshwar in Khandwa district, which leads to pollution and adversely affects aquatic life.

To address the issue, Vijaya Joshi, a resident of Mortakka village near Omkareshwar, formed a self-help group of women and started making lamps out of flour.

"Using flour lamps for offerings is helping reduce pollution in the Narmada. These lamps dissolve in water after use, and the flour is consumed by fish in the river," Joshi said.

The initiative is being seen as a small but practical step towards reducing pollution in the Narmada river.

The self-help group is also receiving support from government schemes to scale up the initiative. With this assistance, the group has taken a loan of ₹1.50 lakh to purchase a machine for making flour lamps.

District Manager of the Rural Livelihood Mission, Anand Sharma, said the mission is providing guidance and support to the group in packaging, marketing and branding of the flour lamps.

He added that the lamps are now sold at affordable prices at outlets dealing in puja materials, flower garlands and grocery shops in and around Omkareshwar, offering devotees an eco-friendly alternative for ritual offerings in the Narmada.

Narmada originates at Amarkantak, MP, and traverses 1,312 km westward through MP, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, emptying into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Cambay.

It is the largest west-flowing river in the peninsula, passing through a rift valley, and acts as a crucial water source for irrigation in MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

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