Cleaning drive in full swing in lakes

Cleaning drive in full swing in lakes
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: It has been almost two weeks since the city celebrated Ganesha festival. The task of removing the contents from the immersion points is still in full swing.

Wastes such has wood pieces, flowers and plastics are found in large numbers.

The tank at Ulsoor Lake has witnessed immersion of more than 1,80,000 Ganesha idols. The debris, at a depth of 6 feet, are yet to be removed.

“It has become difficult to clean up the lakes because of the large number of pollutants present. We are expecting immersions till the 27th of this month and can clean up the tank only after that,” says Satish who is in charge of the Ulsoor immersion tank.

The chemicals from these idols are highly toxic, killing many small living beings in the water. The idols are not made of mud or clay, which would easily dissolve either.

Sankey Tank saw thousands of immersions too. Though the devotees were not allowed to take even flowers along with the idol, the lake still was highly polluted.

Bangalore used to have 263 serene lakes. There are only 62 left today, with three lakes being under the control of Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP).

In spite of mobile installation tanks, most people preferred to take their favourite God to the tanks for immersion. What lies ahead for the authorities is a mammoth task of cleaning up.