Sambalpur: Instructions for Construction of Artificial Pond for Durga Puja Visarjan

Sambalpur: Despite the specific guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board, the Sambalpur Metropolitan Corporation (SMC) has committed a fatal violation of the rules in Murti Visarjan. Artificial ponds were not constructed during the last Ganesha Puja and Vishwakarma Puja. Even after the Ganesh Puja, artificial ponds were constructed in Durgapali, and the State Pollution Control Board has been angry with SMC officials. The board authorities have issued special instructions for the upcoming Durga Puja. For the past few years, specific guidelines have been issued by the Central Pollution Control Board for Visarjan. After pooja, murti, and other pooja materials are floated in various natural sources like rivers, and canals, water is poisoned and the environment is polluted. To prevent this, instructions are issued to build artificial ponds in various rivers and canals. The State Pollution Control Board issues these guidelines separately for the District Administration and Municipal Administration of each district through its Regional Office. It is observed that it has been violated most of the years. This year also guidelines have been issued, but it has been mentioned in the notice issued by the Board that Sambalpur Metropolitan Corporation has violated it. Even the artificial pond was not made at the time of Ganesha’s Visarjan.

Special guidelines issued for SMC

Clearly, the board noted that plastic nets were installed instead of installing synthetic removable liners in artificial ponds. As a result, the water is fatally polluted due to its discharge into various waterways including rivers. Keeping this in mind, the board has issued special guidelines for the upcoming Durga Puja. It has been ordered to make artificial ponds in multiple numbers depending on the number of puja mandaps. Similarly, starting from the water of the artificial pond being constructed in the river, water samples of its upstream and downstream will be tested. Samples will be collected and tested in three stages before disposal, during disposal, and after disposal. Apart from this, after the Puja, the administration will fix a specific day for Visarjan, and on the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth days after Visarjan, the water samples will be tested again accordingly. It has also been directed to create mass awareness of this issue. It is mentioned in the instructions to collect all the materials such as plastics, synthetic materials, soles, flowers, etc. that are disposed of along with the waste and manage them at the project site. It is worth noting that in Sambalpur city alone, the immortal idol of Goddess Durga is worshiped at about 55 places every year and Mother along with Saraswati, Lakshmi, Kartik, and Ganesha are worshiped with their own vaahan and because Maa Durga is worshiped in the pose of killing Mahishasura, there are 11 murtis in one mandap. Therefore, there is a risk of widespread water pollution if proper rules are not followed in the Visarjan of Durga. It remains to be seen how far the SMC adheres to this in this context.