Goddess gone, toxic waste left behind

Crowds dancing to the beat of dhol and chanting Durga Mata ki Jai! Such was the celebratory scene at Geeta Ghat, one of the locations near the Yamuna, where idols of goddess Durga were immersed, reports Tanya Ashreena.

Crowds dancing to the beat of dhol and chanting Durga Mata ki Jai! Such was the celebratory scene at Geeta Ghat, one of the locations near the Yamuna, where idols of goddess Durga were immersed on Thursday.

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Amidst talk of eco-friendly immersions, no enclosures were provided for idols. Devotees threw all samagri, consisting of polybags of nirmalya (flowers), cloth, metal, coconuts, and earthen vessels into the water.

“This stuff has been touched by the feet of god, how can I dispose of it in a trash can?” said Sameer Kumar, a devotee.

“All this may not be environment friendly,” admitted Aniruddh Mitra, an organiser of Delhi Durga Puja Samiti, “but these items are gathered by boatmen, who later sell them off.”

However, boatmen only collect expensive sarees and wood, leaving the plastic, which harms the environment, behind.