The state government has placed floating boom barriers along the coastline from Beach-1 to Beach-6 of Gangasagar to collect flowers littered by the pilgrims after offering prayers to the water during the holy dip on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

The barriers — floating balloons attached with a net — have been placed at a distance of 200 metres each for a few kilometres along the six beaches to contain and control the floating flowers, leaves and plastic bags on the moving water that pose a threat to the marine ecosystem.

Gangasagar-Bakkhali Development Authority’s executive officer Nilanjan Tarafdar said: “The flowers cause major damage to the marine ecosystem. Offering flowers to water is a ritual followed by the pilgrims and it cannot be stopped. So the floating barrier has been put in to contain the flowers. We have engaged volunteers with boats who collect them every hour and send them to the designated waste management unit."

The initiative, taken up under the state environment department’s "Green Gangasagar" endeavour launched in 2020, aims to make the religious congregation a nature-friendly and plastic-free one. For the last four years, many new initiatives have been added to materialise the concept in real terms with the support of the Gangasagar-Bakkhali Development Authority, which is working as the main executing partner of the initiatives.

Gangasagar Mela, an annual religious congregation and the second-largest after Kumbh Mela, is held every year during Makar Sankranti at the confluence of the river Ganga and the Bay of Bengal.

This year mela started on January 8 and will end on January 17. The holy dip is scheduled for January 15 night. Last year, around 70 lakh pilgrims visited the congregation.

“We are trying our best to make the huge congregation nature-friendly in the real term with the support of South 24-Parganas district administration, volunteers, religious organisations, local traders and pilgrims”, said Tarafdar.

To make “Green Gangasagar” effective in real terms, the South 24-Parganas administration under the leadership of the GBDA has involved local traders' bodies, fishermen community, religious organisations like the Ramakrishna Mission, the Bharat Sevasharam Sangha, ISKCON, and self-help groups to make pilgrims aware of the dangers to the marine ecosystem.

Floating flowers apart, the crusade against plastic — small plastic bags, containers and single-use water bottles, among others — continues. “Our prime objective has always been to prevent the use of plastic, particularly single-use plastic bags. To prevent its use, we have taken the initiative to make pilgrims, shop owners, and other visitors aware of its danger and their responsibilities. At the same time, we have offered them alternatives to replace plastic bags, containers, and even water bottles,” said South 24-Parganas district magistrate Sumit Gupta.

As an alternative to plastic items, the GBDA has begun distributing corn starch bags, plates and bowls made of saal leaves among pilgrims and shop owners from the first week of January. So far, a few lakh such bags of different sizes have been distributed.

"We have distributed these bags in five markets located on the island free of cost. The owners of the Dala arcades have also been given such bags free of cost. Religious organisations that offer free prasad have also been given saal-leaf plates and bowls. Used items are being collected instantly and sent to the waste management unit,” Tarafdar said.

To collect litter left behind by pilgrims and others and keep the island clean and green, the GBDA has engaged 140 women volunteers named Sagar Prahari, said sources.