Plastic cups, bags and water bottles can be seen strewn by the river and canal banks as clean-up crews take down signs of the Chhat Puja celebration.

It’s a scene that replays itself year by year, puja after puja. Non-biodegradable waste is dumped in large quantities into rivers and canals that are already heavily polluted.

But as the current Delhi air pollution situation reminds us, taking care of the environment around is urgent – our lives and our health depend on it.