Don’t be a Bhogi man!
Bhogi, celebrated the day before Pongal, is supposed to signal a renewal in our lives. This is done by the symbolic destruction of, or getting rid of the old to make way for the new. This has, over time, become a tradition of burning anything handy- rubbish, old clothes, wood, car tyres ….creating an incredible amount of pollution. Worse, people have got into the habit of breaking off branches from trees and burning them, depleting the green cover in the city.
Like they did last year, the Pollution Control Board and the Police in Chennai are making a concerted effort to educate people to prevent this very harmful tradition from escalating. The good news is that their efforts paid off last year, with far less pollution during Bhogi. It used to be so bad in Kilpauk, where we used to live, that you couldn’t drive as the visibility used to be less than thirty feet! Asthmatics used to be in danger of having attacks from the pungent smoke swirling around in places. Not so last Bhogi, with reasonably clear skies where we lived, with a pleasant fresh breeze!
The idea of renewal before celebrating the harvest is a worthy tradition to follow. However, we could switch this tradition around to initiating something for renewal, rather than simply getting rid of the old. Like planting a tree. Or making resolutions for a better life. Or supporting a worthy cause or organization this year. Or adopting a child. There are so many better ways of doing it than burning stuff that doesn’t even belong to you! So lets help the police and the PCB get the message across this year.
Please do pass on this message to a friend, relative, servant or neighbour. So that we can start a new tradition that is positive and benefits individuals and the city. And ensures we get rid of the old kind of Bhogi man!
“to signal a renewal in our lives.”
“switch this tradition around to initiating something for renewal, rather than simply getting rid of the old. Like planting a tree. Or making resolutions for a better life.”
makes very much sense to me.
I think bhogi is performed this way only in cities like Chennai(am i right in saying that?). I have not seen in south.
keep going david.
Can someone answer my question regarding environmental pollution.
Rivers like cooum got polluted due to discharge of industrial effluents into the river and also discharge of sewage from the city into the river. Recently I read that even Ganges is facing the same problem.
What is the alternative way to discharge the effluents and sewage into the ocean if not through the river? If not discharged into the ocean, how could they be processed and gotten rid of?
There is no alternative to discharging effluents into running water bodies which in turn carry waste into the ocean.In developed nations the solution is strict adherence to effluent treatment using chemical/microbiological methods and reusing such treated water for purposes other than drinking.Like most other things in India, a polluting factory can easily get away by bribing the Pollution Control officer who comes for inspection.The high costs of operating such effluent treatment plants(ETP) and requirement of skilled technicians may also be a deterrent.
While the Anna University and the Pollution Control Board are working with the Sewarage Dept to re-route all the drains that are discharging untreated sewage into the Adyar, the rubbish and sewage from people who have settled on the river banks is one of the larger problems. This is why the Government is relocating forty thousand families living in slums on the banks of the Adyar, Cooum and Buckingham Canal to proper housing constructed for them in planned developments in Thoraipakkam and elsewhere. Once this is done, the Government can look at how these rivers may be cleaned up and made available for the people of Chennai for leisure, recreation and to be close to nature.
Good comments David.
We should not be a bhogi man even for whole of india.
We are bhogifying India in name of development, just like we are bhogifying India.
One blog that caught my attention on ‘bhogifying’ of India is http://developedment.blogspot.com
Dev,
I saw your comments after posting mine. With my environmental engineering background and also my studies I can attempt to answer your question.
“Rivers like cooum got polluted due to discharge of industrial effluents into the river and also discharge of sewage from the city into the river. Recently I read that even Ganges is facing the same problem.”
If you notice, in cooum (or yamuna), it will be upto 80% water (from our western toilet or from kitchen or from bathing) and only 10 to 20% of shit (literally the shit from our bodies).
In countries like Switzerland, Singapore, etc there is mandatory rules on eco-sensitive toilets. These toilets use only 20% of water compared to normal toilets. This way if you reduce water usage you reduce the load on the river (adayar or yamuna, etc). There are many other things that one can do apart from the above idea.
What is the alternative way to discharge the effluents and sewage into the ocean if not through the river? If not discharged into the ocean, how could they be processed and gotten rid of?
Many countries leave treated sewage/effulents into ocean (many countries have rules banning treated effulents/sewage in rivers though).
Look at the word ‘treated’. In many developed (or human and environment caring) countries rivers and oceans are very vital for tourism/fishing/agriculture, etc and will not be allowed to pollute. In India, there is virtually no treatment plants. Even if they are there, these plants seldom function as per norms.
In india, the pollution control norms is so weak any tom, dick and harry can open an hazardous industry and screw up the environment. Industrial effulent is 1000 times more dangerous than sewage because a small rain can wash the sewage (not the cooum like sewage though) but effulents cannot be washed so easily.