Make more artificial lakes this year: MPCB

As the state pollution control board bats for more man-made ponds for immersion of idols, the civic body says only more demand can justify building the expensive lakes

While the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has not really moved mountains when it comes to making this Ganesh festival eco-friendly, the board did, however, decide to build more artificial lakes so the city's water bodies are spared having to absorb the thousands of idols.


A devotee immerses a Ganesh idol in an artificial pond constructed at the Mayor's bungalow in Dadar

"We have decided to have more artificial lakes this year in order to ensure more and more devotees make use of them for the preservation of the environment.

We will request representatives of the BMC to increase the number of artificial lakes this Ganeshotsav," said Sanjay Bhuskute, PRO, MPCB. A meeting for the same has been scheduled for the end of the month.

The awareness of the ecological benefits of artificial lakes has developed gradually, claimed a senior MPCB official.

As per data, a total of 12,286 Ganesh idols were immersed in artificial lakes last year, compared to 8,600 in 2009. But BMC officials do not reckon it is an impressive jump.

BMC cynical
Responding to the MPCB's solution for an ecologically agreeable Ganeshotsav, a BMC official said, "The number of artificial lakes can only be increased if people ask for it. Looking at the last two years, there has been a rise in the demand, but not in the breadth that we hoped."

And it's no cheap deal either. The official grumbled that the cost involved in installing one lake is as high as about Rs 3 lakh.

In 2010, as part of their pre-festival arrangements, the BMC had encouraged citizens' groups to approach them if they wanted an artificial lake in their locality. Last year was the third in succession when artificial lakes were promoted for devotees to immerse idols, despite a lukewarm response in the year of their introduction, 2008.
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Subsequently, the consecutive year, the number of artificial lakes was reduced from 25 to 17. These discouraging figures haven't given the civic body enough reason to comply with the MPCB's recommendation right away.

Already, as reported by MiD DAY earlier, ('Green Ganpati a pipe dream?', June 16) MPCB is lagging behind in issuing eco-friendly guidelines to idol makers. So it has decided to pad up its standard idea of artificial lakes by adding more.

But greens and Ganesh devotees may not always see eye to eye.

1,84,981
The number of Ganesh idols immersed in 2010

1,87,506
The number of Ganesh idols immersed in 2009