THE IMPACT OF DIWALI CELEBRATION ON THE YAMUNA RIVER BY - NIYATI PATEL & DR. RESHMA UMAIR
THE IMPACT OF DIWALI CELEBRATION ON THE YAMUNA RIVER
ABSTRACT
Diwali the festival of ‘lights’, is one of the most widely
celebrated festivals in India, marked by fireworks, traditional rituals, and a
sense of community in the country. Meanwhile, the environmental impacts of
Diwali celebrations in urban areas such as Delhi have been a major issue for
the general public as the air, substances, and public health suffer. The paper
offers a discussion on the direct and indirect impacts of Diwali celebrations
on the Yamuna River, with the part of pollution, cleanliness of the water, and
the river ecosystem as the main aspects, being the primary objective. In
addition, the paper reflects upon the way in which the immersion of idols, disposal
of firecracker waste,
and the ritualistic practices of devotees
during Diwali lead to
the degradation of the river. Moreover, the research also reviews and
communicates the policies applied as well as the actions taken to minimize
these effects along with proposals for more sustainable celebration practices.
KEYWORDS
Diwali Pollution, Water
Quality Degradation, Enviromental impact, Impact of firecrackers,
Government measures for Yamuna Restoration.
INTRODUCTION
The Yamuna River, one of the most significant rivers in India, is
both culturally and religiously important. It is a source of sacred purity for
millions of Hindus and its region provides the life breath for many communities
in northern India. Sadly, the main problem is the river’s ecosystem; however, urbanization,
industrial pollution, and religious practices have been the primary drivers
that account for the degraded water quality and the river’s health. Diwali,
which comes often accompanied by the peak of the pollution season, climaxes
during that time in the region, further contributing to the mounting
environmental challenges of the Yamuna. It is also famously associated with the immersion
of idols made of non-biodegradable material; overuse of firecrackers; and religious offerings
in the river. These events contribute to the degradation of water quality and
carry consequences toward the local ecosystem, public health, and well-being of
the river.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Previous studies have shown the environmental impacts
of celebrations of Diwali, mainly
on air quality and water
quality. The immersion of idols during festivals has been found to be one of
the biggest contributing sources of river system pollution, as PoP idols
contain harmful chemicals and dyes that leach into the water. Singh et al.
(2015) worked with this topic. In addition, waste containing firecrackers with
harmful heavy metals, sulfur, and carbon compounds has been proven to pollute
air and water during Diwali festivities.
Environmental groups like Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan have, time and again,
brought forth how water polluting practices short change the Yamuna - a loss
not just for its ecological system but also
in the concept of 'losses
in livelihood' for people who are disrupted
by these pollution
inputs who depend upon its resources. The Delhi Pollution Control
Committee and the Central Pollution Control Board have also carried out numerous researches to confirm the peak levels of water contamination right
after the fervent celebrations of Diwali with the presence of alarming
concentrations of heavy metals and chemical pollutants.
Research Methodology: It
uses a qualitative and quantitative analysis. Data collection is done at various governmental agencies such as
the CPCB along with local organizations concerning environmental facets
of dissolved oxygen,
pH levels, COD, and harmful
chemical concentrations
within the water bodies prior to, on, and after the celebrations of Diwali.
Interviews and surveys were made with the local communities, religious leaders,
environmental activists, and government officials to understand the impacts of
the activities related to Diwali on the Yamuna River.
ANALYSIS AND
DISCUSSION
Idol Immersion: The greatest contributor to the Yamuna River pollution is the
immersion of idols during Diwali. Such idols are primarily made from plaster of
Paris, which is not biodegradable and contains toxic paints in it. The
chemicals dissolve in this water; as soon as they enter the river, a huge
amount of its quality degrades and aquatic life gets damaged. Apart from this,
functioning of idols
also involves flowers,
incense, and other
things that add to organic pollution in water.
Firecracker Residue:
The burst of firecrackers is the most prominent feature
of Diwali, which will not only lead to air pollution
but also to water contamination. As toxic chemicals in fireworks like barium,
strontium, and copper fall into the river during post-Diwali clean-up
activities, long-term harm can be inflicted on the river's ecological
environment by altering the chemical structure of the water and killing the
very life that is present.
Diwali has been observed to significantly elevate the levels of
total dissolved solids (TDS), biological oxygen demand
(BOD), and chemical
oxygen demand (COD)
in the Yamuna River water quality
studies. All these reflect a decline in the support
capacity of the river for aquatic
life. An increase in pollution from firecracker debris that contains harmful
substances such as lead and mercury, which leach into water, exacerbates water
pollution.
Loss of Biodiversity: With rising levels of pollution in Yamuna, water species-its source
of subsistence-do suffer a dire impact. The NEERI has been studying the Diwali
effects on pollution and the resultant loss of aquatic biodiversity, the fish
and plants. Toxicity within this realm diminishes the ability of the biodiversity in the water by damaging
the very same delicate
balances that the ecosystem looks to for healthy diversity.
Public Health
Implications: The pollution in Yamuna water has
major public health implications. The spread
of waterborne diseases is mainly on
account of the chemical pollutants
and debris causing contamination such as cholera,
dysentery, and typhoid.
Respiratory problems increase
due to the poor air quality remaining during Diwali, which impacts primarily
the weak and frail lot, including children and the elderly.
Policy and Mitigation Efforts:
The Indian government and local authorities have taken several measures to mitigate the
environmental degradation due to Diwali festivities. Some such measures are as
follows:
Firecracker Regulation: The Supreme Court of India has issued orders
regarding the regulation of fire crackers, including controlling their sale and limiting
their permissible hours of use. Delhi
also partially banned fire crackers for the year 2021 to check air pollution.
Use Eco-friendly Idols: Environmental groups have called for the use of eco-friendly idols
made of clay or biodegradable materials. Some local governments also devised programs
for idol immersion in
specific artificial tanks rather than directly in the river.
Public Awareness
Programmes: Many NGOs have done the campaigns about
Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan to
increase public awareness regarding the ill effects of idol immersion and using
firecrackers. These campaigns reduce the practice of polluting Yamuna during
Diwali celebrations.
SUGGESTIONS:
·
Promote use of eco-friendly idols: Local governments should emphasize clay idols and avoid any further induction of
non-biodegradable materials.
·
Stricture regarding
firecrackers: Expansion of regulation over firecracker production and sales, coupled with a high
level of enforcement, would reduce air and water pollution.
·
Develop sustainable immersion practices: More artificial ponds for idol immersion
should be created, and idol waste should not be allowed to enter the river.
CONCLUSION:
The festivity of Diwali mainly contaminates the Yamuna River through
practices like idol immersion and use of firecrackers. Such activities
contribute towards the degradation of water quality, loss of biodiversity, and
risk to public health. Despite some success being realized through such
regulations and educational campaigns by the government, these practices need
to be more widely sustainable in order that, on the brighter side, Diwali might
continue to be there for generation-to-generation celebration without
compromise in both cultural traditions and environmental health. To reduce
the pollution associated with this festival, strong enforcement of environmental laws along with public
participation, and more innovation in eco-friendly practices, are required for
the Yamuna River.
REFRENCES:
·
https://cpcb.nic.in
·
https://yamunajiyeabhiyan.org
·
https://scholar.google.com
·
https://researchgate.net