Indicating the increasing preference for eco-friendly options, data of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on immersion of Ganesha idols for Thursday showed that the number of clay idols was far higher than PoP ones.
On Day 1, in the eight zones of the BBMP, a total of 1.69 lakh idols were immersed in the facilities established in lakes and mobile tankers. Of these, 7,254 were PoP idols. No PoP idol was immersed in Rajarajeshwari Nagar zone.
The highest number idols were immersed in the South zone (65,325), followed by West division (48,586). The least number of idols were immersed in Dasarahalli (895) and Bommanahalli (3350).
The highest number of idols were immersed in Yediyur lake (46,000) of which 6,000 were PoP idols. The second highest number was recorded at Sankey Tank where 30,520 clay idols and 325 PoP idols were immersed.
The trend is being attributed to the increasing awareness about the ill-effects of PoP idols. A BBMP official said, “People are more aware of eco-friendly idols, which is the reason more number people bought clay idols this year. NGOs and resident welfare associations played a crucial role in promoting eco-friendly idols. There could be a 15% to 20% increase in the number of clay idols this time. The exact figure will be known only after the final day of immersion.”
Wet waste collection
The BBMP has collected 216.7 metric tonnes of wet waste during the festive season out which 68 MT was collected in West and 65 MT in East division. A BBMP official said, “To collect wet waste, we have used additional vehicles. The waste is sent to processing units.”