Flower Holi gains popularity, but city struggles with floral waste disposal

Nidhi.BhardwajLudhiana: As residents prepare to celebrate Holi on Wednesday, many temples, housing societies and even individual families are opting for flower-based celebrations to prevent skin problems caused by chemical colours. Temples plan heavy floral decorations that will offer a vibrant experience to devotees. However, even as the trend of flower Holi grows, there is no proper mechanism in place to manage the floral waste generated after the festivities, resulting in most of the flowers going to waste.
Temples including Govind Godham, ISKCON temple, Krishan Balram Gaushala and others will organise floral Holi this year. Sunder Das Dhamija from Govind Godham said the temple will have a "phool bangla" and that devotees will play Holi only with flowers, as colours are not permitted on the premises. He said more than one quintal of flowers will be used. On disposal, he admitted that there is no system to process the floral waste, and it is handed over to garbage collectors.The trend is also catching on among residents. Toni Kalia of South City said he celebrates Holi with his family using flowers because chemical colours are harmful and take days to fade. He said this Holi is especially significant as it is the first after his son's wedding, and celebrations will be grand.Flower sellers confirmed a surge in demand. Surinder Saini, president of the association, said flowers are generally not in high demand during this period, but for the past five to six years, flower Holi has become a trend. Temples and residents from various areas now purchase flowers ahead of the festival.Despite this growing popularity, the disposal of floral waste remains a major concern. About one and a half years ago, the municipal corporation carried out a survey to find a solution and held meetings with temple managements and marriage palace owners to prepare a plan to handle floral and coconut waste. The civic body was expected to receive a grant under the Swachh Bharat Mission, but the lack of concrete planning stalled the proposal.An MC official said a small plant was to be set up at the Jamalpur dump site to convert floral waste into incense sticks, and machinery for processing coconut waste into rope was also considered. However, the idea could not materialise.In cities like Nagpur, Varanasi and Ujjain, floral waste is collected and converted into incense sticks, manure and other products. Activists say processing such waste is better than dumping it into water bodies or landfill sites.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Holi wishes, messages and quotes !