PUNE: In a bid to prevent Pavana from getting more polluted due to Ganesh idol immersion, Indo-Athletic Society, Savarkar Mandal, Vrukshavalli and other city-based NGOs pulled out around 4,000 Ganesh idols from Pavana river after the immersion procession on Friday.
The idols were extracted from different locations like Chinchwad, Ravet, etc. “The intact idols were then handed over to the municipal corporation personnel, to dispose of properly,” said Indo-Athletic Society member Gajanan Khaire.
He added, “Around 70 volunteers extracted the idols manually, from 6 am to 9 am on Friday.”
Although, several people in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad have shifted to using idols made of eco-friendly materials and paints, many still use the ones that were made of conventional PoP (Plaster of Plastic) materials and chemical paints, which takes several months to years to fully dissolve. Also, chemical paints contain heavy metals such as Mercury and Lead, which seep into the water as the idol dissolves, severely damaging water life in the process. Additionally, non-biodegradable idols can block the natural flow of water bodies, allowing stagnation.
