People from across India and abroad visiting Char Dham shrines and other pilgrimage centres in Uttarakhand need to observe utmost care especially when purchasing or applying vermillion-one of the most common items in religious activities. The reason for this was revealed in adulteration testing campaign undertaken on the Char Dham Yatra route where samples of vermillion in the temples were found to be synthetic and containing lead which can prove substantially detrimental to health.
While the State authorities claim credit for having successfully 'restored' the Char Dham Yatra after the 2013 disaster, the level of adulteration in food items sold on the pilgrimage circuit continues to be alarming. According to the findings of a food adulteration campaign undertaken by the Society of Pollution and Environmental Conservation Scientists (SPECS) on the Char Dham routes, the criminal practice of adulteration is nearing epidemic proportions with the authorities apparently remaining uninterested in tackling this major public health issue.
The campaign conducted from May to mid-August this year ascertained adulteration in more than 80 per cent of the food samples collected and tested, said SPECS secretary Brij Mohan Sharma.
Addressing the media here on Thursday, Sharma said that as part of the annual campaign this year, SPECS volunteers collected a total of 1685 samples of 36 food items out of which 1392 samples were found to be adulterated in lab analysis. About 83 per cent of the food samples collected on the Char Dham circuit were found to be adulterated with 100 per cent samples of mustard oil, vermillion, laddoos and jalebi being found to be adulterated.
Sharma said, "The overall adulteration in food items on the Badrinath-Kedarnath route was found to be 85 per cent. The level of adulteration in samples we checked on this circuit was 95 per cent in Ghangaria, 94 per cent in Srinagar, 94 per cent in Kirtinagar, 92 per cent in Joshimath, 90 per cent each in Rishikesh and Gopeshwar, 88 per cent in Rudraprayag, 85 per cent each in Haridwar and Guptkashi, 83 per cent in Badrinath, 80 per cent in Chamoli and 76 per cent in Kedarnath. On the Gangotri-Yamunotri circuit overall adulteration level was found to be 78 per cent. On this circuit, adulteration level in tested samples was 93 per cent each in Uttarkashi, Janakichatti and Yamunotri, 92 per cent in Mussoorie, 89 per cent in Dehradun, 85 per cent in Gangotri, 84 per cent in Narendranagar, 84 per cent each in Dunda and Kempti with the minimum adulteration level being marked at 50 per cent in Agrakhal," he said.
Further, he informed that 84 per cent adulteration was ascertained in samples of various spices with 489 out of 585 samples of spices being found to be adulterated.
Adulterants found in various items include lead chromate in turmeric powder, mineral-castor and refined mobil oil in mustard and refined oil, detergent, soda, urea, butter oil and formalin in milk. In general milk is mostly diluted with water but in some instances starch, caustic soda, urea, hydrated lime, ammonium sulfate and sodium carbonate are used as adulterants.
Sharma pointed out that regular use of such adulterated items is known to cause a gamut of health afflictions from allergy to even cancer in some cases. "
A large number of pilgrims visit Uttarakhand which makes the sale of adulterated items all the more alarming. We have been conducting sample testing for about 17 years now and also submitting the report to the authorities concerned apart from releasing the findings in the public domain," he said, while expressing concern at the continued apathy of the authorities concerned towards tackling this serious health risk.