Hyderabad: Plea not to pollute water bodies during immersion

Hyderabad: Inspired by residents of Ahmedabad who stopped immersing their Dashama idols in the Sabarmati river and left them on the banks, TRS working president and former chief minister K.T. Rama Rao, appealed to people in the state to maintain cleanliness during Ganesh Chaturthi next month.

The appeal received mixed response from netizens, with some questioning how idols to which prayers were offered for an entire week or 11 days can be left behind on the road.  The other important issue raised was that this practice could cause impediments to traffic flow and the movement of pedestrian movement due to space constraints on the roads in Hyderabad, if it is followed here.

In Hyderabad, most idols are immersed at the Hussain Sagar and at various other lakes. The GHMC has created imme-rsion points at some places to immerse the idols.

Most people continue to use Plaster of Paris idols, especially those that are taller than five feet. However, the number of people using clay idols is gradually increasing. Over the last couple of years, some temples in Sainikpuri in Secunderabad are encouraging devotees to immerse Ganesha idols in a tub of water on the temple premises itself.

Asked about Mr Rama Rao's idea, an official of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation said, “We are already taking measures to reduce pollution of water bodies during the festival in all possible ways. We have built immersion ponds in 29 locations across the city.”

He said, “We do not have enough space to leave idols on the roads and this might interfere with pedestrian movement. Even if we implement this, disposing of garbage would become another challenge as it is linked to the religious sentiments of many.”