lake pollution

The NGT has long banned all festivities and rituals in Rabindra Sarovar, a national lake in south Kolkata. Yet what transpired during Chhat Puja clearly points to the futility of such orders in the absence of political will and awareness among masses.

Despite an order from the National Green Tribunal, efforts to stop Chhat Puja celebrations in Rabindra Sarovar — a 192-acre biodiverse, green sanctuary in the heart of the city — have been futile in previous years. This year the municipal corporation is closing access to the lake area for the two days of the festival, but will it help?

Several studies on pollution in the Dal Lake have pointed to the impact of the waste discharged by houseboats operating on the lake; yet rehabilitation or realignment of these may not be the only solution for saving the lake.