<p>Sehore: Around 11,000 litres of <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/milk">milk</a> were poured into Narmada river, often called the lifeline of <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/madhya-pradesh">Madhya Pradesh</a>, in Sehore district on the culmination of a 21-day religious event as part of a sanctification ritual, prompting environmentalists to flag its negative impact on the ecosystem.</p>.<p>The event concluded at Satdev village in Bherunda area, located about 90 km from the district headquarters, with a 'mahayagna' on Wednesday.</p>.<p>The milk was offered to the river as part of rituals and prayers for the purity of the waters, the well-being of pilgrims and prosperity, organisers said.</p>.<p>The milk was brought in tankers to the riverbank and later poured into the flowing water amid chanting of mantras in the presence of a crowd of devotees.</p>.<p>However, environmentalists raised concerns over the practice, warning of its potential ecological impact.</p>.Magh Mela: Over 1 crore devotees take dip in Ganga, Sangam on Basant Panchami at Prayayraj.<p>"Such large quantities of organic matter can deplete dissolved oxygen in water, adversely affecting the river ecosystem. These impact local communities dependent on the river for drinking water and threaten aquatic life as well as domestic animals," noted environmentalist and wildlife activist Ajay Dube said.</p>.<p>Religious offerings should be symbolic and mindful, he asserted.</p>.<p>Renowned environmentalist Subhash Pandey said 11,000 litres of milk acts as a significant organic pollutant.</p>.<p>"It is highly oxygen-demanding and can lead to oxygen depletion, aquatic mortality, eutrophication (process of plants growing on river surface) and loss of potability. These effects are predictable from dairy-effluent chemistry and have been documented in similar incidents worldwide," Pandey pointed out.</p>.<p>Narmada originates at Amarkantak in the state and traverses 1,312 km westward to Maharashtra and Gujarat, emptying into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Cambay.</p>.<p>It is the largest west-flowing river in the peninsula, passing through a rift valley, and acts as a crucial water source for irrigation in MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra.</p>
<p>Sehore: Around 11,000 litres of <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/milk">milk</a> were poured into Narmada river, often called the lifeline of <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/india/madhya-pradesh">Madhya Pradesh</a>, in Sehore district on the culmination of a 21-day religious event as part of a sanctification ritual, prompting environmentalists to flag its negative impact on the ecosystem.</p>.<p>The event concluded at Satdev village in Bherunda area, located about 90 km from the district headquarters, with a 'mahayagna' on Wednesday.</p>.<p>The milk was offered to the river as part of rituals and prayers for the purity of the waters, the well-being of pilgrims and prosperity, organisers said.</p>.<p>The milk was brought in tankers to the riverbank and later poured into the flowing water amid chanting of mantras in the presence of a crowd of devotees.</p>.<p>However, environmentalists raised concerns over the practice, warning of its potential ecological impact.</p>.Magh Mela: Over 1 crore devotees take dip in Ganga, Sangam on Basant Panchami at Prayayraj.<p>"Such large quantities of organic matter can deplete dissolved oxygen in water, adversely affecting the river ecosystem. These impact local communities dependent on the river for drinking water and threaten aquatic life as well as domestic animals," noted environmentalist and wildlife activist Ajay Dube said.</p>.<p>Religious offerings should be symbolic and mindful, he asserted.</p>.<p>Renowned environmentalist Subhash Pandey said 11,000 litres of milk acts as a significant organic pollutant.</p>.<p>"It is highly oxygen-demanding and can lead to oxygen depletion, aquatic mortality, eutrophication (process of plants growing on river surface) and loss of potability. These effects are predictable from dairy-effluent chemistry and have been documented in similar incidents worldwide," Pandey pointed out.</p>.<p>Narmada originates at Amarkantak in the state and traverses 1,312 km westward to Maharashtra and Gujarat, emptying into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Cambay.</p>.<p>It is the largest west-flowing river in the peninsula, passing through a rift valley, and acts as a crucial water source for irrigation in MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra.</p>