No eco-friendly immersion this time as MBMC drops artificial ponds idea

In a clear indication of its apathy towards environment protection, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has again taken an anti-ecofriendly stand by dropping the idea of creating artificial ponds and domestic “Jal Abhishek’s” for immersing the Lord Ganesh idols this year.

And more shockingly, the lame excuse put forward is that it did not have time to make arrangements as the entire machinery was busy on poll duty.

After mysteriously scrapping the project of creating eco-friendly ponds for three consecutive years, the MBMC had finally woken up to the need of checking the unabated pollution of water bodies in the twincity while immersing idols during the Ganesh festival.

Taking a cue from their Pune counterparts, last year the MBMC had introduced Jal Abhishek, a unique environmentfriendly technology which involves mixing of ammonium bi-carbonate (baking powder) with water to dissolve idols made of plaster of paris.

Despite an encouraging response, both these much needed eco-friendly measures have been scrapped this year.

The total number of Lord Ganesh idols which graced the twin-city touched the 18,000-mark last year. This

Taking a cue from their Pune counterparts, last year the MBMC had introduced Jal Abhishek, a unique environment-friendly technology which involves mixing of ammonium bi-carbonate (baking powder) with water to dissolve idols made of plaster of paris

including final day farewells to 2064 household and more than 300 Sarvajanik Ganapati idols at the 22 immersion spots across the city.

In 2015, the total number of immersions stood at 17,645.

Deeply concerned about the deteriorating level of city’s lakes and natural water bodies, environmentalist’s and local citizens have blamed the MBMC for its anti-eco-friendly approach, this despite of the growing awareness towards immersions in artificial ponds in other cities.