Pamban bridge becomes disposal point for ritual garments; marine life at risk

The practice of disposing of garments in sea, rooted in local rituals, is causing significant ecological distress to the marine ecosystem in Pamban and Rameswaram regions. 

The irrational belief that discarding clothes would wash away one’s sins or bad luck is only causing a major pollution crisis in the sea, say worried fishermen. 

P. L. Jimmy Carter, a fisherman from Pamban, observed that many Sabarimala devotees visiting during the ‘Margazhi’ season (November to January) follow a ritual of discarding their clothes—primarily towels—into the sea while visiting the Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple on their return journey. 

“Though it is traditionally done in the ‘Agni Theertham,’ area (place dedicated for devotees to take a holy dip) near Sri Ramanathaswamy Temple, due to the massive influx of pilgrims and the resulting congestion, many devotees have begun performing these rituals at the Pamban shore instead,” he added.  

Although the rituals at ‘Agni Theertham’ were known to pollute the sea, the municipality had implemented a mechanism to remove discarded clothes from the water periodically. 

Following overcrowding in the areas surrounding the temple, devotees preferred to follow the same ritual between coastal regions like Pamban, Thangachimadam, Dhanushkodi, among others, Mr. Jimmy Carter added.  

“Since most of these fabrics take decades to decompose, they either wash up on the shore or settle among underwater rocks. They frequently get tangled in boat propellers,” Jimmy Carter noted. 

Such incidents cause severe mechanical damage, costing local fishermen lakhs of rupees in repairs, he added.  

As people mostly throw the garments from Pamban bridge the local administration should think about placing warning sign boards in multiple places at bridge to deter pilgrims from discarding clothes and to highlight the legal consequences of polluting this protected marine zone, he suggested. 

A Rameswaram municipality official said, they would consider placing sign boards warning people about the consequences of throwing clothes into the sea.