It is that time of the year when markets are decorated with colourful lights, homes are lightened up with earthen lamps, and people worship Lord Ganesh and Goddess Laxmi for prosperity. The festival of Diwali is here and people all over India are observing it with fervour and joy. However, along with the excitement this festival carries, there are also some adverse effects which come along. The main one is the pollution which is generated while people enjoy the festival by bursting crackers.
Due to the worsening air quality during this festival in the previous years, people are now more cautious of hurting the environment while enjoying a beautiful festival like Diwali. While some state governments are restricting people from bursting crackers, a unique initiative has been taken by the District Collector of Bhopal, Avinash Lavania, where eco-friendly earthen lamps are being made by the women self-help groups in the district. Besides helping the environment, this initiative is also bringing light in the lives of the women in the SHGs who come from not-so-privileged backgrounds.
ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY LAMPS
While speaking to Indian Masterminds, Mr. Avinash Lavania said, “The earthen lamps which are produced during this festival need to be light in weight and biodegradable so that their impact on the environment is positive. With this thought, we started this initiative and engaged various women SHGs of the district.”
Earthen lamps are used in large quantities in this festival and once the celebration gets over, the lamps are disposed in rivers or other places. These lamps can, hence, create problems if they are not biodegradable. However, the earthen lamps which are being made in Bhopal are from organic products which would cause no harm to the environment.Rather they will create a positive impact.
ORGANIC LAMPS FOR HOLY PLACES
Mr. Lavania further informed that around 15 lakh earthen lamps made out of cow dung and Multani soil (mitti) are being made in Bhopal. These are being made in 10 villages of the district by around 1000 women SHGs, and the major role is being played by the women SHGs in Intkhedi Panchayat and the panchayats near it.
These 15-lakh eco-friendly earthen lamps are being sent to holy places like Vrindavan and Ayodhya. “The district administration tied up with an agency who provided all the raw material to these women so that they did not have to make any initial investment for such a huge number of earthen lamps. These women were also paid the amount for making the lamps beforehand,” he said.
This unique initiative was not only taken for the benefit of the environment but also for the empowerment of the women involved in the project, who were in need of such kind of support to become self-reliant.
