HYDERABAD: With over 83,186 Ganesh idols immersed in city water bodies, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) expedited the cleaning of water bodies and removal of idol remains and pooja material dumped in the lakes. The GHMC cleared 10,092 tonnes of garbage from water bodies in the city. In view of the apex court’s directions, GHMC Commissioner DS Lokesh Kumar along with senior GHMC officials closely monitored the cleaning process.
All the idol remains, pooja material and other waste material would be removed from the water bodies in about 24 hours as a large number of men and machinery have been pressed into service to shift the waste material to the dumping yards, Lokesh Kumar told Express. While seeking exemption for immersion of idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) for this year, the GHMC had given an undertaking to the Supreme Court saying that the waste material will be removed from the lake within 24 hours.
The HMDA has taken steps to remove idols and other debris by deploying 500 workers and machinery like JCBs, trash collectors, aquatic weed harvester-cumtrash collector and an amphibious long boom excavator at NTR Marg Road, Tank Bund and People’s Plaza. With the court’s directions in mind, GHMC has initiated measures in clearing the piled-up garbage from water bodies and those piled up on the roads in different parts of the city. The GHMC pressed excavators, earthmovers, mini tippers and vehicles with 10-tonne capacity to remove waste after immersion.
Mission immersion accomplished
The immersion of Ganesh idols in Hussainsagar which spilled over to the second day was successfully completed on Monday evening as hundreds of idols were immersed in Hussainsagar at NTR Marg Road, Tank Bund, People’s Plaza and Sanjeevaiah Park. The immersion of idols in other water bodies in the city was also completed early in the morning. A total of 83,186 Ganesh idols of all sizes, which were immersed in baby ponds and water bodies, were removed. Of these, over 60,000 were removed from baby ponds and 23,094 idols from other water bodies.
After immersion, the water was emptied completely from baby ponds to prevent insects like mosquitoes from breeding, and Gambusia fish were released in water bodies. GHMC officials said the reasons for idol immersion extending to an extra day was due to the rainfall on Sunday, and several mandap organisers wanting to immerse the idol on the 11th day of the festival. While immersions went on, several sanitation teams of the GHMC were busy removing debris from Hussainsagar and other lakes and baby ponds in the city. With Monday being a working day, the traffic police lifted traffic curbs on the Tank Bund Road while allowing immersions on the PVNR Marg side and NTR Marg Road till Monday evening.