HYDERABAD: Hyderabad saw a 20 per cent increase in the number of idols immersed for Durga Puja, according to officials. Hussainsagar alone received over 2,000 large idols during the nine-day puja period. Apart from the large idols, puja items, polybags and smaller idols also made their way into the lake. This came after the Bathukamma celebrations last week, and the Ganesh nimarjanam last month. All this left no time for the lake to rejuvenate itself.
“The highest number of idols were seen on October 1 during the Durga puja celebrations. There was 10-20 per cent hike in the number of idols,” stated Mr Joel Davis, DCP, Central Zone. A majority of these idols made in Plaster of Paris take over 48 hours to disintegrate and utilise the biological oxygen in the lake for the process. to prevent this, the government fishes out the idols as soon as immersed. The idols immersed on the Tank bund side remain in water as the lake is deep on taht end.
The toxicity from the metal paints and the PoP is what had triggered the National Green Tribunal to ban the immersion of idols in lakes November 2015. No government has taken an affirmative step to enforce the order. “Mini ponds are a good way to ensure the lake is untouched by the idol waste. However it must be made keeping in mind the lake spread,” said environmentalist Madhulika Chaudhary. The Pollution Control Board last week released a detailed analysis of the Hussainsagar lake, which showed the oxygen levels were down, indicating poor lake health.
