GHMC to procure prefabricated ponds for Ganesh idol immersion

HYDERABAD: In a first, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) will procure 24 portable prefabricated Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) ponds, which will be installed at different places across the city for the immersion idols by devotees during the forthcoming Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. The civic body has also decided to create 22 temporary excavated ponds in the city for the same purpose.

The GHMC took these decisions in the wake of Supreme Court’s direction to the State government not to permit immersion Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols in Hussainsagar from this year.  The civic body will make it mandatory for citizens and pandal organisers to immerse PoP idols only in portable and artificial ponds.

According to a GHMC official, the prefabricated ponds are being procured from Mumbai. “The equipment will arrive in the city in the next few days. The parts will be assembled and arranged as portable ponds. The size of these ponds will be 30 metres by 10 metres with a depth of 1.35 to 150 metres. Idols up to four feet height can be immersed in these ponds,” the official said and added that each prefabricated water pond costs around `11-12 lakh.The GHMC officials, meanwhile, informed TNIE that these ponds can be dismantled after Ganesh Chaturthi festivities and reassembled to be used as swimming pools during summer.

22 excavated ponds

The GHMC will create around 22 excavated temporary ponds for idol immersion and these will be dug up in LB Nagar (4 ponds), Charminar(5), Khairatabad (5), Secunderabad (3), Serilingampally (3) and Kukatpally (2). Excavation works for temporary ponds will be taken up soon. The idols immersed in these temporary pools will be taken out from time to time along with pooja material and filled with fresh water, GHMC officials said.