Western Yamuna canal bridge swamped by plastic, puja refuse

As the festive season reaches its annual crescendo, bridge connecting Rohini’s Sector 16 and 28, over the Western Yamuna canal has been unceremoniously transformed into an unofficial garbage dump, overflowing with discarded religious offerings and mounting heaps of plastic waste.

A board has been placed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi mentioning, “Dumping garbage is strictly prohibited in the canal”. However, the board itlef now lays in the heap of garbage, mostly plastic and puja refuse.

“It is heartbreaking,” said Sunita Sharma, a resident of Sector 18, pointing to a colourful pile of synthetic garlands and plastic bottles resting against the wall.

“Every morning, I see people stopping their cars and bikes just to throw bags off the bridge. They do this in the name of religion, but they are only polluting the water body. Where is the reverence for nature?” she said.

Pointing to a signboard, Jitesh Singh, a member of a local Residents welfare association in Sector 16, said: “A simple signboard is not enough. We need permanent measures — CCTV cameras and maybe civil defence volunteers stationed here during peak hours.”

“We must find a way for people to practise their faith without sacrificing the environment,” he said. However, for some this garbage provides them for their daily meals. Harish, a garbage collector, said he came daily to the same spot to collect glass, plastic bottles and other recyclable material.

“For past many years, I come here, sometimes I get a few coins, currency notes also other than the usual plastic stuff,” he said. Harish further mentioned that he spent almost two hours daily, going through the garbage in search of things which could earn him some money for his livelihood.

Similarly, many homeless people also come to the point daily in order to assist families who come for visarjan of goods. Chintu, a teenager said, “By helping in performing visarjan, we get some money. Also we dive in the river to take out valuable things such as clothes or mostly coins which people donate to the river as part of their religious beliefs.”