Recycling: From Ganesh idols to chalks

 Lord ganesh , the patron of arts and sciences, will this year help in spreading the light of education among the masses.
Devotees click photos of a Ganesh idol during an immersion procession on the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai on Thursday. (Photo | PTI)
Devotees click photos of a Ganesh idol during an immersion procession on the last day of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai on Thursday. (Photo | PTI)

MUMBAI:  Lord ganesh , the patron of arts and sciences, will this year help in spreading the light of education among the masses. As the Ganesh Chaturthi came to an end on Thursday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will be using a baking agent to ‘digest’ Plaster of Paris (POP) for curbing pollution of water bodies arising from idol immersion.

Besides the artificial tanks with ammonium bicarbonate solution to immerse POP idols in an eco-friendly way, the BMC will be deploying a new strategy to recycle sulphate and calcium carbonate so that they can be used as chalks and fertilizers. 

 While the POP from idols remains in the form of sludge settles at the base of water bodies, the Pune-based National Chemical Laboratory has suggested ways to segregate sulphate and to recycle the sludge for making chalks or using it as raw material in cement factories.

The BMC dug up special tanks at three immersion sites along Worli Sea front. Meanwhile, several thousands of devotees came out to give a grand farewell to Lord Ganesh, an integral aspect of Maharashtra’s culture and society. 

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