The Hazaribag District Disaster Management Authority has issued detailed safety guidelines for Durga Puja idol immersion, directing officials and organisers to use notified safe sites, restrict access to hazardous locations and prepare rescue arrangements at rivers, ponds, lakes, waterfalls and other water bodies.
The advisory is intended to prevent drowning incidents and protect devotees during immersion activities. Authorities have been asked to identify suitable immersion locations according to local conditions and formally notify them before the process begins. Immersion at unsafe or prohibited sites will be restricted.
Officials must assess the conditions at each location in advance, including water depth, currents, slippery surfaces and other hazards that could endanger participants. The assessment is expected to guide decisions on where immersion can take place and what safety arrangements are required at each site.
The guidelines require immersion points to have adequate barricading, lighting, warning signs and safe arrangements for entry and exit. These measures are intended to keep devotees away from dangerous edges and improve visibility and movement during what can be a crowded public activity.
Wherever feasible, authorities have been asked to establish temporary or artificial immersion tanks. Such facilities would reduce the need for devotees and organisers to enter natural water bodies, where changing water levels, currents, uneven surfaces and limited access can make rescue operations more difficult.
The district authority has also emphasised the deployment of trained lifeguards, divers and water rescue personnel at major immersion points. Essential equipment, including life jackets, lifebuoys, rescue ropes and boats, must be kept ready at the sites so that emergency teams can respond quickly if someone enters the water or an incident occurs.
The responsibility for implementing the measures will involve district officials, local authorities and Durga Puja organisers. Organisers have been urged to follow the notified locations and safety protocols, while officials have been directed to ensure that the required infrastructure and personnel are available at major sites.
Deputy commissioner Hemant Sati urged officials and puja organisers to strictly comply with the safety protocols to prevent any mishap during idol immersion. The advisory places site selection, hazard assessment, crowd movement, lighting and emergency preparedness at the centre of the district’s arrangements for the immersion process.
