Problem Area
Problem Area
Since the festival do not require a temple but revolves around worshiping Sun on
a riverside, it is considered by many that Chatth is a festival which acknowledges
the importance of nature in the most significant manner. Although the rituals of
the festival cannot be completed without taking a dip in a river or a water body;
the zeal and concern to keep those water bodies clean is surprisingly very low.
Moreover, the whole purpose of the festival with respect to its connection to
nature worship gets defeated due to the damage done to environment,
especially to the rivers and the other water bodies during this festival. Puja
materials like flowers, bamboo baskets, cloth pieces, vegetables, coconut
and earthen lamps which are set afloat in the river as offerings to the Sun
God pollute the river water or other water bodies like ponds and lakes. In
fact, plastic cups and packets and other non-biodegradable products along with
the biodegradable products are littered on the river banks or ghats during the puja
celebrations.