New Delhi: A thick layer of toxic foam did not curb people from taking a dipin Delhi’s Yamuna river on the first day of Chhath Puja on Monday.
Videos and photos of toxic foam floating on the surface of the Yamuna near Kalindi Kunj have gone viral.
However, the formation of toxic foam in the Yamuna is not new. Every year, during the Chhath Puja, images of devotees standing in waist-deep toxic foam in the river grab the spotlight.
A rise in the level of ammonia in the Yamuna to 3 ppm (parts per million) has affected water production in parts of the national capital.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has prohibited Chhath Puja on the banks of the Yamuna this year, leading to a war of words between the BJP and AAP. The DDMA has, however, allowed Chhath celebrations at “designated sites” excluding Yamuna banks in Delhi.
Earlier this year, the Delhi government sketched out a nine-point action plan to minimise frothing in the Yamuna due to the discharge of untreated sewage into the river.
Chhath, celebrated by people belonging to Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, involves offering prayers by fasting women to the Sun god in knee-deep water. The rituals are spread over three days.
A look at the Chhath Puja 2021 guidelines prescribed by the DDMA:
* Designated sites to be developed by government agencies. None of there will come up on the banks of Yamuna
* Pooja material offered at the designated sites is to be collected by municipal authorities for disposal
* Devotees are banned from throwing pooja material in the Yamuna. No such material should join the river stream. Police to monitor the activity
*Authorities have to ensure action and measures to ensure prevention of pollution in the Yamuna.
* Meetings to be held with community and religious leaders to ensure Covid appropriate behaviour is followed and guidelines are not ignored.
* Videography of the event will have to be done to ensure Covid appropriate behaviour is being followed. Separate entry and exit will have to be maintained at the venues.
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