On November 6 and 7, the Hindon canal was milling with people for Chhath Puja, a festival popular in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Residents of East Delhi gathered at the stretch of the Hindon canal at New Ashok Nagar to offer prayers to the Sun god.
After the celebrations, however, the Hindon canal was seen strewn with waste from the festival. Though mostly biodegradable, the trash also comprises plastic, which needs to be removed immediately, given Hindon's already dire condition.
On the brighter side, a cleaning team was at work and most of the area was cleared of the temporary arrangements made for the puja by the evening of November 7, the last day of Chhath. The waste, however, was still strewn across the canal when our lensman visited the site at 5 pm. We hope the cleaning team is aware of the dangers of dumping plastic in the canal and that the waste is cleaned up soon.
