Artificial ponds for Ganesh idol immersion likely in Ahmedabad

As Ganesh Chaturthi is nearing, preparations are on in full swing in households to welcome the Lord. Apart from the traffic police, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is also getting busy planning for the festival.

In an eco-friendly move to prevent water bodies from getting polluted, the civic body is planning to build artificial ponds for immersion of idols. This will be the first time that the city will have huge artificial ponds for Ganesh immersion.

Speaking to DNA, deputy municipal commissioner IK Patel said, "We are thinking of building the ponds. But convincing the conservative sections of people to use them will be a challenge."

He said, "We will take two more days to finalise the plan. We will present it at a final round of meetings with police officials and organisers to seek their co-operation."

The ponds will be made under guidelines of Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB). Instead of immersing the idols directly in the river, people will be asked to immerse them in these artificial ponds adjacent to the river bank.

Officials explained that large pits will be dug near the river bank and layered with thick tarpaulin sheets. They will be filled with water pumped from the river nearby. The sheets will prevent the polluted water from going into the river. Post-immersion, the polluted water in the pits having clay, Plaster of Paris, and artificial colours will be transferred to the corporation's treatment plants, said an official. 

"The basic idea is to change people's attitude towards the environment and its protection," said Dipen Shah, managing co-ordinator of Society for Environment Protection, which has provided guidelines to AMC for creation of the ponds.