Yorkshire River Aire - Holy Hindu River

[phil hackett]

Chris Playle:

I was watching the regional news on BBC1 yesterday and there was something which disturbed me somewhat.

 

The report (on Look North Regional News) said that a stretch of the River Aire in Bradford was going to be turned into a Holy Place for Hindus to be allowed to scatter the ashes of loved ones as an alternative to the River Ganges in India.

 

Now, let me get this straight first of all, I have no problem with people of differing religions, as long as they do not try to press their beliefs on me. Each to his own and all that.

 

My main concern is going to be the environmental impact on the area and what steps have been taken to study the impact such a site will have on the river system.

 

In the report, there was plenty of mention that Bradford City Council made reports on the impact such a site but I didn't hear anything from the EA or anyone else who would be better suited to studying the impact such a site would have on the river.

 

The report stated that many of the local residents are opposed to the site being constructed. One man stood out with the phrase, "It's the River Aire in Yorkshire not the Ganges".

 

Do you think such a site would have an environmental impact on a river which has only just nicely got over being dead for many years due to massive pollution from factories in the West Yorkshire region?

 

Thoughts please.

 

Tight Lines

 

Chris

Answering the possible environmental problem, there’s unlikely to be one, for these reasons –

1. The numbers of Hindus in the UK are relatively small, numbering 100-150K at most. National Health statistics suggest that in a population that size, the death rate would be between 40-80 p.a. Taking the average (60 p.a.) that’s likely to be 180 lb of ash p.a. entering the river. Put another way it’s just over one person’s remains a week entering the river. I suspect that probably the major rivers in the UK get more than that from anglers remains. Human ash remains by the way float for quite some time before they absorb water.

 

2. That amount of ash added to the sediment load of a river is minuscule when you consider that thousands of tones a day are moved through the river course.

 

Some gruesome but interesting facts about cremation. Whilst all the soft tissue and some bone is completely burnt, the major knucklebones have to be ground down to powder by the crematorium staff in a grinder. In effect they are made into bonemeal, plants that are then planted over somebody’s ashes always thrive for several years afterwards, until the nutrients become exhausted.

In Poland and Germany where the ash was tipped from the Holocaust, the trees are half again taller than those of the same age in the surrounding woodland.

 

Before anybody suggests that the ash entering the R. Aire would enrich it, it wouldn’t most of those areas above have many hundreds of thousands of remains in them and they are static. Unlike a river that is constantly moving and moving the sediment onwards towards the sea.

[JackPike]

Yes Ok its only bonemeal but what about all the the trace elements and metals in the crematated remains as there a great concearn with amount of mercuery being reliase into the atmosphere from the corpses teeth fillings. Well in India theres so great shortage of wood in the ganges area that most of the bodies are being placed in the river are only half cremated and bodies are often washed back to shore.

[Peter Sharpe]

I think the number of estimated ceremonies has been greatly exaggerated. The Aire will be considered to be distinctly second best, and used mainly by those who can't afford to make the trip. I think a certain amount of pride or even snobbery will dictate which venue is used, and those who can possibly afford it will make a point of continuing to make the trip to The Ganges.

[Eddie]

The big question. Will it be lost to fishermen?

[Bob Roberts]

"The numbers of Hindus in the UK are relatively small, numbering 100-150K at most. National Health statistics suggest that in a population that size, the death rate would be between 40-80 p.a. Taking the average (60 p.a.) that’s likely to be 180 lb of ash p.a. entering the river"

 

Just run that by me again. Only 60 out of 150,000 die every year. I could be wrong, but that means that Hindus live for about 2,500 years.

 

Bloody hell, I'll never get a council house!

 

As for getting to the top of the syndicate list, forget it....

[phil dean]

Well as the only sad person other than bulldog who'se ever fished the aire regularly and knows much about Bradford then I must inform you all of the following:

 

1. The River has only recently become fishable again in the middle stretches between Bingley and Idle,

 

2. The river levels can change dramatically and one of the major concerns is the flooding of fields and golf courses caudsed by the constant building works in the valley, stopping waters soaking away as they have in the past.

 

3. I can name five anglers I know of whose remains have been thrown in to be nearer to the fishing they love.

 

From Phil Hacketts comments and my knowledge of the water, the views of my hindu friends and my knowledge of the local council, there are many worse threats to this river than a few impoverished Hindu's whose family couldn't send the ashes to the ganges.

 

This really is a non-issue being stirred in Bradford to create a little more religious intolerance. The planned developments and "industrial growth" that keeps being mooted for Bradford is far more of a danger to fishing,

 

Seriousley, this river has A-sexual fish in it

[aero]

i fish the air down stream from bradford. they throw alot worsethings than ashes in the river in bradford any way but i think we should start a pertishion to stop this.

[Tyke]

Dragonbat:

For me they can use all the Rivers in Yorkshire no good for fishing.

 

Cheshire Rules

There goes Dragonbat with his wooden spoon again trying to stir things up :mad:

[Gazza_Wakey]

Hey Dragonbat stop pulling the Yorkshire rivers wot u got down there :confused: