Photo Courtesy: nenow
Guwahati: Debris blankets the Brahmaputra riverbanks in Guwahati. Discarded flowers, plastic bags, bottles, and splintered bamboo frames litter the shore following the conclusion of Durga idol immersions. Wednesday marked the start of the process on Vijaya Dashami, stretching into Thursday to accommodate the massive turnout from 600 local community pujas.
Seven ghats handled the influx: Pandu, Lachit, Saukuchi, Basistha, Choonsali, Sonapur, and Panikhaiti. Pandu ghat stood as the busiest site, processing over 250 idols. Litter got snagged in water hyacinth near the edges of the river. The Assam Pollution Control Board currently awaits a formal assessment of the latest impact on water quality.
Officials look for specific indicators of environmental damage. Tests must measure dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and heavy-metal concentrations to see how the river fared. Data from 2023 showed that BOD levels at Pandu ghat climbed from 1.6 mg/l to 2.3 mg/l during the festival, while dissolved oxygen dropped from 8.4 mg/l to 7.3 mg/l. Environmentalists maintain that change is necessary. They advocate for the use of clay idols and natural colors, noting that "the visible waste has raised concerns about waste management at immersion sites."
The administration deployed the National Disaster Response Force and the State Disaster Response Force to manage the chaos. Personnel stood guard at Lachit, Pandu, Sankat Mochan, and Palasbari ghats. Four teams of 30 workers manned the sites round the clock, utilizing hydra cranes to lift massive idols into the water. Despite clear guidelines banning plastic, thermocol, and synthetic paint, the volume of refuse remains high. Assam hosted 9,002 community pandals this year, a sharp increase from the 8,381 recorded in 2024.
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