Durga Puja: Idol immersion is not allowed in Yamuna river, other water bodies in Delhi.
Ahead of Durga Puja celebrations, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee on Wednesday banned idol immersion in any water body and asked people to immerse them in buckets or containers at home, saying the resultant pollution in rivers and lakes matter of concern.
“Idol immersion will not be allowed in any public place including Yamuna river or any other water body/ public place/ ponds, ghats during the upcoming Durga Puja. The idol immersion ritual can be done in bucket or container in the premises of the house,” it said in a notification.
It said that on festive occasions like Durga Puja, there has been a tradition to immerse idols in water bodies like rivers, lakes, ponds, wells, and the resulting pollution of such water bodies has been a matter of concern.
“Studies conducted to assess the deterioration in water quality due to idol immersion reveal deterioration in water quality in relation to conductivity, biochemical oxygen demand and heavy metal concentration,” the pollution control body said.
It also prohibited the use of plaster of Paris (POP) or baked clay for making idols and emphasized the use of natural materials like traditional clay, noting that chemical paints, colors applied to such POP idols And the dyes contain dangerous chemicals that cause harmful effects on aquatic life, which when consumed by humans can cause cancer and other diseases, including respiratory illnesses, skin infections, among others.
“The characters should be made only from natural materials as described in the sacred scripts. The use of traditional clay is allowed for the idol.
The use of baked clay, plaster of paris etc. is prohibited in idol making.
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) also discouraged painting of idols and said that if idols are to be painted, then only water-soluble and non-toxic natural colors should be used.
It states, ‘The use of toxic and non-biodegradable chemical dyes for the painting of idols is strictly prohibited.
The DPCC also said that worship materials such as flowers, decorative materials (made of paper), are removed before immersion of idols, and can be collected separately for disposal in an environmentally safe manner such as door- Handing over of two-door waste collection vehicles.
It also directed that composting of biodegradable material be made at home, if possible.
With these directions, DPCC directed all concerned agencies to submit action taken report every Friday and violators would be punished.
“It may be noted that contravention of directions issued under section 33A of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, or rules made thereunder shall be punishable under section 41 of the said Act, which includes imprisonment . Six years and with fine,” it said.
It also said that in view of a directive issued by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on September 16, 2019 prohibiting idol immersion in Ganga and its tributaries, violators are required to pay Rs 50,000 as environmental compensation .
“Assemblies relating to social/political/sports/entertainment/cultural/religious festivals, as per the guidelines for phased reopening of the Ministry of Home Affairs order dated September 30, 2021, to extend the existing orders issued by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority There are more meetings. Not allowed and the same needs to be followed in letter and spirit,” the DPCC said.
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