BALURGHAT: With the aim to reduce adverse impacts on aquatic lives and pollution, the Balurghat civic body has started a cleanliness drive immediately after the immersion of Durga idols in the Atreyee River.
The concerned civic body has also deployed a hydraulic trolley at the Atreyee Ghat in Balurghat to lift Durga idols immediately after their immersion so that the stream does not get contaminated with toxic elements.
Ashok Mitra, Chairman of the Balurghat civic body said: “All measures have been taken up so that the idols do not melt into river
water and every idol is being lifted immediately after immersion. A separate place has also been set up for depositing the puja materials at the ghat.”
According to him, the cleanliness drive has already started to prevent any mix-up of chemicals used for painting the idol with river water.
“We used to remove waste every year but we started the task early this year because the crowd was heavier than previous years,” he said.
According to the experts, the idols are usually made using clay and Plaster of Paris while the chemical contents of the paints are toxic and pollute water when it dissolves in the river.
“At the same time, it reduces dissolved oxygen levels in the water causing harm to fish and other aquatic life. The paints also contain different carcinogenic heavy metals like chromium,
cobalt, and lead among others that directly affect the
quality of water,” said
an expert.
Local environmentalists have welcomed the move by the civic body in order to clean the stream after immersion.
“It is a welcome move by the local administration and civic body. We are now demanding the implementation of the ‘Wash & Melt’ model in Balurghat as it was already implemented successfully by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority in Kolkata,” said Tuhin Subhra Mandal, a local Environmentalist & Convener of State Save River Committee Sabuj Mancha.