Every year, the widely celebrated Maha Shivaratri brings thousands of devotees to Tumdra Ami Ney in Chhukha. But once the festivities end, what is left behind is a troubling sight, heaps of waste flooding the sacred site. Despite annual cleaning campaigns by authorities and volunteers, managing waste has become a challenge.
It has been more than a month after the Maha Shivaratri celebrations, but the trail leading to the revered site is still flooded with waste.
From plastic to beer bottles, chocolate wrappers to chips packets, the path is littered. In some parts, human defecation fills the landscape.
The fallen leaves have managed to partially conceal the trash, failing to mask the growing environmental damage.
Authorities have raised concerns that continued littering in and around the sacred site could also compromise its sanctity and spiritual significance.
Phuentshogling Dungpa Karma Jurmi said, “The concern is growing with increasing number of pilgrims every year. People come here to worship, but they are greatly littering the place, which can affect nature as well as the sanctity of the site.”
Over sixty volunteers, including officials from the Dungkhag and SHE-Cycle Solution, have come forward to clean up the area this time. It is always the volunteers, dungkhag officials, De-suups and college students cleaning the area and this has become a routine now.
Tumdra Ami Ney Lam Jigme Dorji said, “The challenge of waste management, especially after Shivaratri, is immense. To stop this, we really need to implement strict regulations and monitoring. Also, there is the need to construct toilets and develop other basic amenities.”
“Awareness on waste management is really important. Secondly, some restrictions on plastic should be implemented. We are also planning to come up with proper toilets, drinking water, pits and dustbins,” the dungpa added.
The waste issue at Tumdra Ami Ney shows the need for a strong waste advocacy, proper disposal facilities, and real accountability.
So long as devotion leads to pollution, the sanctity of Tumdra Ami Ney remains under threat.
Kinley Dem
