Jamshedpur: The Kolhan regional office of Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) has directed Durga Puja organisers to adopt environment-friendly practices and strictly refrain from dumping non-degradable waste into rivers, ponds and lakes.The board has asked organisers to use idols made of natural clay and avoid plaster of Paris, thermocol and resin fibre idols to minimise water pollution during immersion.Committees have also been instructed to segregate flowers, leaves, clothes and decorative material before immersion. Dumping puja articles, clothes or decorations along the banks of water bodies will not be allowed.“Water quality at designated immersion sites will be checked at three stages — before the festival, on the day of immersion and after immersion — to assess the impact of idol immersion and ascertain whether non-degradable material has been dumped in the water,” said JSPCB regional officer Jitendra Singh.He said municipal bodies had been directed to dispose of non-biodegradable waste in designated pits away from water bodies. They must also clean the immersion sites and remove puja related waste within 24 hours of the completion of immersion.Jamshedpur has 16 designated immersion ghats along Domuhani, Kharkai and Subarnarekha rivers.Singh appealed to devotees to avoid dumping puja waste into rivers and use the designated pits instead to protect the environment and maintain water quality.Kendriya Durga Puja Samiti president Achitam Gupta said all 350 registered committees had been instructed at a meeting on Aug 1 to comply with pollution control norms in Jamshedpur.
