What Festival Plant Waste Does to the Oxygen in a Pond
Aishwarya Kapoor | Times Life Bureau | Oct 14, 2026, 12:47 IST
What Festival Plant Waste Does to the Oxygen in a Pond
Image credit : AI
Every festival season, tonnes of marigold garlands, banana stems, and leaf offerings enter India's ponds and lakes. The decomposition that follows is not a gentle return to nature, it is a biological chain reaction that strips oxygen from the water and suffocates the fish and invertebrates living in it. Here is what actually happens, and why the timing makes it worse.
Highlights
- The decomposition of a submerged marigold garland in a pond quickly reduces dissolved oxygen levels, negatively affecting the survival of freshwater fish and other aquatic life within 48 hours due to the spike in biological oxygen demand caused by decaying organic matter.
- The release of phosphorus and nitrogen from decomposing plant material contributes to algal blooms in freshwater systems, which further deplete oxygen levels and produce harmful toxins, creating a two-stage oxygen crash that endangers fish and aquatic animals.
- During the post-monsoon period, the influx of organic waste from festivals overwhelms already stressed urban ponds, leading to long-term ecological damage where fish populations gradually decline over years, transforming once healthy freshwater bodies into eutrophic and algae-dominated environments.