Gomti’s health sinks with idols immersed after Puja

LUCKNOW: With Durga Puja over on Friday, ghats of the Gomti are still waiting to be cleaned of the puja waste after immersion of idols.

According to Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC), around 15,000 idols were immersed in the ailing river. LMC had built three artificial ponds—at Jhulelal Vatika, Kudia Ghat and Gomtinagar—but due to lack of enforcement, devotees continued to immerse idols and throw puja waste in the river.

When TOI visited the three ghats, puja material was strewn along them. The bins placed by LMC were overflowing with waste and the artificial lake built for immersion was also full of garbage.

Gaurav Singh, a devotee at Jhulelal Vatika, said, “People have thrown plastic waste and flowers into the river and LMC is sitting idle”.

“About 6kg plaster of Paris (PoP) is used for making a 4-foot idol. In addition, 8 litres of artificial paint goes into making the ornaments, while 3kg metal is used in the base structure,” said environmentalist Venkatesh Dutta.

Environmentalist Dhruv Singh added, “Traditionally, idols were made of mud and painted with natural colours. Now, the river is burdened by PoP, harmful paints and heavy metals. They take five to six years to completely dissolve, affecting the water quality.”

LMC environment engineer Pankaj Bhushan said, “This year, approximately 15,000 big and small idols were immersed in the Gomti. LMC had arranged for microphones and signboards at all three ghats to inform devotees about artificial ponds.”