Rituals on Kshipra river bank raises risk of infection

Several libation rituals are being held on a daily basis in Indore's Kshipra river wherein infected/non-infected persons are seen immersing the bones, hair, shoes and slippers of the dead in the river waters.

Indore (MP):As the number of Covid related deaths has risen in Madhya Pradesh's Indore, several libation rituals are being held daily at the banks of the Kshipra river. This poses a grave danger of Covid spread as there might be infected/non-infected persons among those performing the rituals.

Not just that, the river is also a source for the Dewas Municipal Corporation which supplies drinking water to millions of people in the city. However, with such huge levels of pollution in the water body, this could pose a threat of infection.

Even masks and sanitizers are also being dumped into the river by those visiting the place for libation rituals. According to local residents, around 200 to 250 people have been visiting the banks of the Kshipra river daily.

Read:Lightning strikes kill 7, injure 4 in Madhya Pradesh's Satna

There is panic among the 5000 residents who stay close to the Kshipra river about the possibility of getting infected by Covid, as authorities do not seem bothered about the cleanliness of the river nor about social distancing.

When ETV Bharat brought this matter to the notice of municipal corporation officials, they said the water from the river is supplied to the city only after it is treated.

Meanwhile, Municipal Commissioner Vishal Singh Chauhan said there have been a large number of libation rituals held on the river ghat during the Corona period, but now it has reduced.

Read:Man impersonates as judge to please parents and wife

As far as the immersion of infected clothes or materials is concerned, the District Panchayat and the Municipal Corporation have deployed workers to clean the water, he added. Also, strict action would be taken against those found dumping waste into water bodies.

According to Dr. Ram Srivastava, a virology expert, renowned educationist and scientist at Medi-Caps University, the filtering process used by the municipal corporation to clean water is done using alum and chlorine, which do not kill viruses and bacteria.

The expert added that if the quantity of chlorine is increased in order to kill coronavirus, then the water may lose its potability.