Hussainsagar to bear brunt of Ganesh idol immersions
Civic body not ready with idol immersion arrangements, sources say
The effort of the HMDA to improve water quality at Hussainsagar would be affected by the GHMC’s lack of preparation ahead of the Ganesh festival this year.
The irrigation department has handed GHMC the responsibility of organising the immersion of Ganesh idols at 31 city lakes but the corporation is yet to finalise the tenders. The civic body has now decided to divert a few idols meant for these lakes to the Hussainsagar this year.
An official said that about 8,000 big idols would be immersed in Hussainsagar this year. This will impact the water quality in the lake.
Sources said the GHMC was not ready with the immersion arrangements even though the state government had shifted the responsibility to the corporation from the irrigation department a year ago.
Highly placed sources said that the bio-oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) had improved in the Hussainsagar following three months of work by NACOF, a Bengalurubased company.
The company had used EM.1 Effective Microorganism) solution and bokashi balls, which contain fermented organic matter, to kill microorganisms. They also arrest algal blooms and bad odour.
Sources said there was considerable decrease in growth of algal blooms and emission of foul smell from the lake had been controlled.
The immersion of Ganesh idols would bring back the problem because of the presence of grass and oil in the idols.
“We have been introducing bokashi balls on a daily basis and spraying EM. I solution twice a week. Due to idol immersion, these operations will be put on hold for two weeks at least. This would damage the lake and take at least three weeks to bring it back to its current status”, said an engineering official from HMDA.
He said that the HMDA did not have alternative plans apart from quickly removing the idols from the lake.
Asked about the corporation’s preparedness, a senior GHMC official said the decision of the government to place it in charge had cost the civic body `6 crore.
He said the GHMC has had to invite tenders for 220 cranes apart from carrying out sanitation works.
He said the tenders had been finalised for 30 lakes and hinted that the number of cranes has decreased from 220 to about 150. "The corporation has decided to divert big idols to Hussainsagar and about 8,000 idols will be immersed. Hussainsagar have to bear an additional burden of 2,000 idols this year,” he said.
Asked about the construction of baby ponds at various locations, the official said even though the corporation had proposed to construct 50 baby ponds to take off pressure from Hussainsagar, it had managed to construct a mere 20 due to budgetary, land disputes and other issues.
15,000 big idols of Ganesh expected to be immersed in Hyderabad this year.
8,000 Ganesh idols to be immersed in Hussainsagar.