Durga Puja is the prime celebration of Bengali Hindus. It is often associated with large scale congregation of people to offer Puja/ prayer to the idols of goddess Durga and other gods, goddesses & demon, usually in ornamental/ decorated structures along with microphone, lavish lighting etc. After the celebration the idols which are usually made up of mud, hay, ornamented with colour, clothes & other articles, along with the structures, and flowers, leaves etc. used for prayer are immersed into pond/ river/ water courses.

Use of microphone often causes sound pollution. Temporary structures made of polethene, PVC etc often end up as garbage are sources of pollution. Lavish lighting is also a pressure on electricity, generation of which indirectly cause greenhouse gas/ pollution. The idols, their colours, structures and other articles cause water pollution when they are immersed into water and left out there. Substantial amount of flowers, leaves etc is used for prayer and when they are thrown into water cause water pollution after degeneration.

Keeping these factors in view recently some organisations with the aid of Pollution Control Board offered prizes for the organisation of Pujas that are most environments friendly. Welcoming this initiative various Puja Committees have come forward and some such organisations have bagged the prizes on various aspects of staging environment friendly Puja celebrations. These are evidences that the celebration of Puja may be organised environment friendly and that too with much solemnity.

But when the celebration is over and the idols end up in water courses, Kolkata Corporation came up with the initiative to clean/ remove the Idols / structures/ flowers etc. immediately after immersion. This is a welcome gesture right from the Corporation. But the Puja Committees should also extend their efforts to keep environment clean after the celebration.

Similarly Diwali may be termed as the celebration of light & crackers almost all throughout India. Usually it involves prayer of Goddess Laxmi, otherwise Goddess Kali in Bengal, like that of Durga Puja. The type of celebration as it varies from place to place, lighting and sound of crackers often causing acute sound pollution are common in most of the places. There are restrictions regarding sound pollution and existing court order bans use of sound crackers often much exceed the permissible sound limit. But it is observed that appreciable number of people find pleasure in sound crackers and law enforcing authorities are not that much active to prevent this factor except few raids in sound cracker shops etc. Ultimately it is the common people irrespective of who uses sound crackers are not are the sufferers. One should realise that use of sound crackers has nothing to add to the solemnity and healthy environment of the celebration.

The whole issue may be extended to any such Pujas & celebrations that are organised by some organisations or individuals, which are likely to create environment pollution. Only a little environment awareness and efforts may turn these celebrations into nice environment friendly & solemn occasions.

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