River, canal banks in state littered after Chhath Puja

Rivers and canals, at different places all over Punjab, are littered with heaps of post-Chhat garbage of plastic, leftover eatables and remnants of colourful offerings.Nobody seemed bothered to clean the messy and even smelly places after the festival, associated largely with the migrant labour.

Ludhiana

Displaying public apathy towards cleanliness, Sutlej river and Sidhwan canal were a picture of utter neglect, with no signs of any effort by the public and the administration to do the cleaning job.

Disposable plates, glasses and cutlery could be seen scattered on the banks as well as the surface of the river and canal water at different places. Burning waste gave out a foul smell at certain spots.

Condemning the recurring mess every year, Kapil Arora of the Public Action Committee (PAC) said the group would take up the matter with the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Environmental experts warned that burning waste on riverbanks released harmful chemicals and particulate matter, posing risk to both public health and aquatic ecosystems. Activists have urged the administration to create artificial water bodies for rituals and deploy sanitation teams during high-footfall festivals.

Aakash Aggarwal, Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department, said a clean-up drive was on and Sidhwan canal would be cleared by the weekend. He confirmed that notices would be issued to event organisers, but admitted that on-the-spot challans were avoided due to heavy rush and concerns over hurting public sentiments during the festival.

Amritsar

A day after the conclusion of the four-day Chhath Puja, remains of the offerings could be seen scattered at the Tara Wala Pul. Situated outside the city limits, Tara Wala Pul is on the Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC).

Harish Shingari, a resident of the locality in the vicinity of the site, said this phenomenon was associated with religious ceremonies. “We respect their devotion, but when it comes to cleaning the mess, they do not show similar enthusiasm after the ceremonies,” he said.

Rajesh Kumar, District Forest Officer, said, “Before the start of the festival thorough cleaning was done. People have left the place messy. I will write to the Municipal Corporation to clean it.”

Jalandhar

The recent festival season has led to the contamination of air, water bodies and land. The worst has been the condition of Bist Doab Canal where the migrants\\ observed Chhat Puja on Monday and Tuesday. The canal remained littered with a trail of offerings, including banana and pineapple straws, flowers, diyas, pots and a lot of non-biodegradable stuff, including plastic bags and small pieces of clothes, used for covering the offerings.