Rise in pollution in river Yamuna due to immersion of idols

October 3rd, 2009 VARANASI - Concerned with the increased levels of pollution in Ganga river after the recent immersion festival, a voluntary organization in Varanasi has asked people not to immerse idols in it, which have chemicals or artificial colours. But save Ganga campaigners say that despite warning several idols with chemical colours were immersed in the National River.

September 29th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Silver papier-mache decorations, bamboo frames and plastic bags rippling on frothing waters. Despite calls from green activists, the scene at the river Yamuna here was that of a toxic harvest after hundreds of idols of goddess Durga were immersed in it at the end of the Durga Puja festival.

September 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Durga Puja festivities for a family in northwest Delhi came to a tragic end Monday when their 17-year-old boy drowned while immersing an idol of Goddess Durga. The victim, identified as Arvind, was a resident of Nangloi.

September 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - As hundreds of idols of Goddess Durga hit the Yamuna river Monday as part of immersion rituals, green activists had reason to breathe easy. Unlike earlier years, many of the idols were made of natural colours and environment friendly clay! Several organisers of Durga Puja celebrations across Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) ensured that the idols were made of clay that dissolved immediately in water and vegetable dyes to keep the Yamuna free of pollution.

September 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - They descended on the Yamuna banks to bid farewell to the mother goddess, shouting "Bolo Bolo Durga Mai Ki, Jai!" On the final day of puja festivities Monday, thousands of Bengali devotees here could not contain their emotions as giant idols of goddess Durga were immersed in the river. Since morning, the Durga Puja venue at the sprawling Mela Ground in south Delhi's Chittaranjan Park saw women and children touching the feet of the goddess with vermilion, sweets, flowers, incense and books.

September 19th, 2009 VARANASI - To prevent the river Ganges from getting further polluted, the Ganga Mahasabha, a voluntary organisation, in Varanasi, has asked people not to immerse idols in it, which have chemicals or artificial colours. National secretary of the Ganges Mahasabha, Acharya Jitendra, has said when these idols will be immersed, a lot of river bodies, mainly river Ganges, will be polluted.

September 18th, 2009 AGRA - High level of pollution in the Yamuna River is killing thousands of fish in Agra. The river is already in a pathetic condition with its water unfit for even bathing, leave alone drinking.

September 5th, 2009 SURAT - The immersion of thousands of idols during the recently concluded Ganesha festival in the waters of Ukai dam near Surat poses a pollution threat. Most of the elaborately painted and decorated idols are worshipped before being taken in mass processions for immersion into nearby rivers, lakes and sea.

August 22nd, 2009 CHENNAI/AURANGABAD - The artists across the country are giving shape to eco-friendly idols of Lord Ganesha, prior to 'Ganesh Chaturthi'. The demand for Lord Ganesha idols is on the rise as the festival begins from Sunday.herefore, the artists in Chennai are giving final touches to the Ganesha idols.

July 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Despite spending 17,000 crore rupees on river cleaning projects, Ganga and Yamuna were "no cleaner" now as they were two decades ago, the government has admitted in Lok Sabha. Responding to a Calling Attention Motion on checking pollution in rivers and lakes in India, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said: "I admit with full responsibility that Ganga and Yamuna are no cleaner than 20 years ago." Ramesh added that a "determined and renewed effort" was required to cleanse these major rivers.

June 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Leader of Opposition in the Delhi assembly V.K. Malhotra Wednesday criticised Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for reportedly saying that cleaning of the Yamuna river would take several more years.

March 24th, 2009 VRINDAVAN - Hundreds of devotees, including foreigners, converged on the banks of Yamuna River here to do their bit to save the river from pollution. Organised by an The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKON) Temple here, the programme saw devotees singing devotional songs of their lord as they took out a procession of the Radha and Krishna on a decorated boat on the holy river.

February 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - A Rs.15-billion project to decrease the levels of pollution in the Yamuna river by trapping pollutants at major sewage drains is ready to be implemented, Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Tejender Khanna announced here Sunday. 'A major project costing Rs.15 billions to trap pollutants at Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) at 18 major sewage drains falling into the Yamuna river is ready for implementation to ensure that only clean water from the entire city flows into the river,' Khanna said while flagging off Yamuna Rally at Jamia Millia Islamia organised by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

February 2nd, 2009 PATNA - It is official now. For the first time in more than two and half decades, authorities have not allowed immersion of idols in the tank surrounding the 16th century tomb of Afghan king Sher Shah Suri in Sasaram in Bihar's Rohtas district.

January 15th, 2009 PATNA - Authorities in Bihar's Rohtas district have finally banned discharge of polluted water and immersion of idols in the tank surrounding the 16th century tomb of Afghan king Sher Shah Suri in district headquarters Sasaram. The tank around the five-storey tomb in Sasaram town, about 150 km from here, is filled with acidic industrial discharge while illegally constructed buildings have come up all around it.