An ancient sacred ritual is finding a home on rivers and streams of the Greater Toronto Area, causing some people to worry about the potential environmental impact of traditional Hindu blessings.

Floral arrangements, statues and even more valuable items such as money have occasionally been seen floating in the current of city rivers.

River offerings are an integral part of Hindu rites. With a growing Hindu population in the GTA, offerings and the scattering of a cremated loved-ones ashes are becoming more frequent events.

But some people are concerned that the rituals are leaving behind an unsightly mess that is hazardous to the environment.

"The leaves, the flowers and the fruits are biodegradeable," Pundit Rupnath Sharma said Sunday.

However, in some cases people are putting their offerings into plastic bags and dropping them into rivers.


More stories:

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20070304/hindu-rituals_rivers_070304/20070304/?hub=TorontoHome

http://content.msn.co.in/Nri/NriIANS_050307_0301.htm

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A Proud Indian Canadian

We have finished polluting Indian waterways and rivers. >http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=4356&channel=0
Now we will take care of Canadian Rivers!
God Save Canadian Rivers.

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Bala

I think govt. can provide some pond/artificial reservoir for that purpose with instructions where they can charge money. That money will help to clean that reservoir.

How will they do puja in winter ? How will they take dupki ?

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You know you are a desi when ........ You spew forth the virtues of India, but don't want to live there...............You've never had a tanning salon membership

canadian is accepting different culture immigrant (as labour) but not accepting their culture and making news of that....................

Dhshpatel

If you read carefully..

It is not the Culture they have a problem with , It is water pollution.

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We will find a way or we will make one

percentage of pollution is far less if you calculate .......the other way of polluting

How much Hindu died every year in canada and how many do their rituals in canada?

Canada Takes Crap for Flushing Raw Sewage into the Ocean http://environment.about.com/od/waterpollution/a/canadasewage.htm

http://www.ec.gc.ca/water/en/manage/poll/e_poll.htm

http://www.torontobeach.ca/clean/why.htm

The growth of Toronto has meant more land taken up for housing, roads, parking lots, driveways and commercial centres, etc. Consequently, these developments have required the management and redirection of rainwater into Toronto's storm sewer system. In a storm, rainwater washes material and debris from roofs, gutters, streets, lawns, parking lots and sidewalks into the storm sewer system. Storm water flows untreated into Toronto's waterways and can carry many contaminants from material left on the surface, such as animal feces, pesticides, used motor oil, etc. Some of these contaminants can end up polluting the water at Toronto's beaches.

Some older areas in the City of Toronto are serviced by a combined sewer system, meaning that the storm water and sanitary sewers share the same pipe. While the wastewater flows through this to a sewage treatment plant, during a rainstorm, the volume of water may be too great for the capacity of the sewage treatment plant and it will flow untreated into the lake.