Shri Ayutchandi Mahayagya Samiti started a nine-day-long 'mahayagya' yesterday. They will burn 500 quintals of mango tree wood during this #Navratri period to 'curb pollution'@moefcc And NGT please look into this. this will cause pollution pic.twitter.com/Ny6Vt1hk0O — Mohd Ibrahim Ahmed (@IbrahimAhmed455) March 19, 2018 Cutting trees to burn wood to curb pollution. What a scientific method used by them. Kudos. #Navaratri Pro Tip- never let your "Shradhdha" turn into "Andh-Shraddha" — Abhijeet Gupta®? (@iAbhijeetGupta) March 19, 2018 Thanks, Shri Ayutchandi Mahayagna Samiti. https://t.co/85m7SNzheq — Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) March 19, 2018 As the nine-day Hindu festival of Navratri began Sunday, a group in Merrut started a "mahayagya" to curb pollution. But they would be burning 500 quintals of wood for it, raising concerns if the initiative would really serve its purpose.While rising air pollution has emerged as a prime concern in major Indian cities, Shri Ayutchandi Mahayagya Samiti is trying to contribute its bit by burning 500 quintals of mango tree wood as a part of the "mahayagya", news agency ANI reported. Yagya, a vedic ritual, literally means selfless sacrifice for noble purpose. Mango tree wood is often used in the ritual.Over 350 brahmins from Varanasi are reportedly participating in the nine-day long ritual at the Bhaisali ground of Merrut.Reactions poured in on social media over the reports of the nine-day initiative.Air pollution has been cited as the second leading risk factor in India in the study titled " India State-level Disease Burden " published in The Lancet journal last year. The risk factor encompassed both outdoor air pollution from a variety of sources as well as household air pollution. "While the total burden from air pollution in India declined between 1990 and 2016, this was largely driven by efforts to reduce the use of solid fuels in households. Outdoor air pollution continues to pose a significant and growing challenge to population health," the study said.It mentioned that the burden due to outdoor air pollution is highest in northern states, including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, and West Bengal.

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