Annam Naturals
Green Living & Energy

Chhath Puja and river pollution: cleaner offerings

Chhath honours the sun at riverbanks and ponds. Here is how families keep the rituals while protecting the water they gather beside.

2 October 2026 · 7 min read

Devotees gathered at the water's edge

Chetanya Goel · Founder & Editor

Chetanya started Annam Naturals after two years of keeping a household waste diary. Chetanya writes about the boring, repeatable habits that hold up in a real week.

Chhath Puja, celebrated this year from 13 to 16 November, is one of the most environmentally rooted festivals in India. Devotees offer prayers to the setting and rising sun while standing in rivers and ponds, with offerings of fruit, thekua and sugarcane carried in bamboo baskets. Much of the traditional practice is already natural and low-waste.

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The challenge comes from scale and from modern additions: plastic bags, foil, synthetic decorations and waste left on crowded banks of rivers that are already polluted.

The traditional practice is green

  • Bamboo soop and daura baskets, which are reusable and biodegradable
  • Seasonal fruits, sugarcane and homemade thekua
  • Clay diyas and earthen pots
  • A focus on cleanliness of the ghat and the water

Where waste creeps in

Offerings wrapped in plastic, plastic sheets for sitting, synthetic decorations and disposable plates add up quickly when thousands gather at one ghat. Some of it ends up in the water.

Cleaner choices

  • Carry offerings in bamboo baskets and cloth, not plastic bags
  • Use steel, leaf or clay plates instead of disposables
  • Choose flowers and natural decorations
  • Take all waste home or use the bins provided
  • Avoid putting anything other than water offerings into the river

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Artificial ponds and home celebrations

In several cities, local authorities and housing societies create clean artificial ponds for Chhath, especially where rivers are heavily polluted. Many families also celebrate on terraces or in courtyards with small tanks. These keep the ritual while protecting both people and rivers.

Care at the ghat

Check official advisories on water quality and crowd management. The festival involves long fasts and standing in water, so look out for elderly family members and anyone unwell.

Why it matters

Chhath celebrates the sun, water and the harvest, the natural systems that sustain life. Keeping rivers and ponds clean during the festival is a natural extension of its meaning, and families who celebrate it are often among the strongest voices for cleaner rivers.

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