Question

What are defects made from festivals

Answer 1

There have been efforts to ban sale of plaster of Paris (PoP) idols for Ganesh Chaturthi festival in the past, but these have proved futile. The biggest hurdle in implementing such a ban is the fact that there is no definitive and comprehensive scientific study on the impact of PoP on the environment. Studies on the impact of idol immersions carried out in places like Bhopal, Jabalpur and Bengaluru show several significant impacts like steep rise in concentration of heavy metals, dissolved solids, and acid content, and a drop in dissolved oxygen.
Since these studies mostly centre around testing of water quality before and after immersions, the results reflect the cumulative effect of PoP, clay, chemical colours and other materials; there is no way to ascertain the exact role of PoP in water pollution as well as its larger impact on the environment. 
Basic chemistry says that PoP is made by heating gypsum at temperatures in the range of 300°F. When it comes in contact with water, the material regains the form of gypsum. Since gypsum is a naturally occurring substance, and is used as a soil-conditioner to reclaim saline-sodic soils, it has been argued by idol-makers’ associations that it is harmless to the environment. In Gujarat and Maharashtra, artisan groups have used this argument to challenge attempts to ban PoP idols in court.
In fact, Gujarat government’s attempt to ban PoP idols in 2012 was turned down by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in a May 9 order this year, partly on the grounds that there is no evidence that PoP is harmful to the environment. A 2012 study by Pune-based Srushti Eco-Research Institute, which says that no pollution was caused to the Mula-Mutha rivers in Pune from immersion, was treated as evidence in this regard.