Ganeshotsav 2023: Idol immersions in artificial lakes increase by 173 per cent
Over 32k idols were immersed in artificial lakes
3 min read
Devotees whisper into the ears of Lord Ganesha idols as part of a ritual before immersing them. (Imge source: ANI) Artificial lakes in Mumbai continue to see good response from citizens as the total number of idols immersed this year after the fifth day shows an increase of 173 per cent compared to last year’s figures.
As per the data of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, a total of 32,719 idols were immersed in artificial lakes on the fifth day, compared to last year, when nearly 11,979 idols were immersed in artificial lakes.
Of the total number of idols that were immersed in artificial lakes, 598 were Sarvajanik, while 29,792 were Gharguti (household) and 2,392 were Gauri idols.
The total number of idols immersed this year also saw an exponential rise as a total of 81,570 were immersed, which is 88% more than 43,385 idols immersed last year.
Earlier on September 21, the city saw a rise in idol immersions in the artificial lakes by 14% after one-and-a-half day of celebrations.
Ramakant Biradar, deputy municipal commissioner, attributed the reason behind the spike in numbers to the citizen’s awareness towards protecting the environment.
‘In every ward, we have deployed as many artificial lakes as possible. Due to this, several citizens don’t need to go to the beach and stand in queue to immerse their idols. The immersion in these tanks is being carried out by keeping in mind all the religious sentiments. As a result, more people are preferring it now,” Biradar told The Indian Express.
This year, the BMC in its chatbot facility has also introduced a new facility through which citizens can locate their nearest artificial lake from their location. Civic officials said that this has also encouraged citizens to use this facility.
Earlier, a week before the festival, the Bombay High Court (HC) had instructed the civic body to ensure safe immersion of idols.
Stalin D, director of NGO Vanashakti, who had filed the PIL in HC said that citizens prefer artificial lakes more than fresh water lakes.
“The water in the artificial lakes is cleaner compared to the natural lakes or sea, since the latter are filled with sewage. Therefore, citizens will not have any problem carrying out immersion in these smaller tanks and at present, there has been awareness among people also when it comes to protecting the environment,” Stalin told The Indian Express.
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