PMC gears up to curb Ganpati immersion pollution

She said that the PMC is buying ammonium carbonate and distributing it free of cost to residents. “There are two government companies that supply ammonium carbonate and we are holding discussions for getting the necessary supply to PMC,” said Umbarkar.

Cummins has been working with the PMC for the last few years on managing the waste generated during Ganesh festival. “We have engaged ourselves as the CSR initiative of the company and involved employees for the purpose. The company had made attempts on its own to find a way out to get the Plaster of Paris idols dissolve in water but the solution was time consuming. The NCL has come up with a more effective solution so we would participate in the initiative by taking up a public awareness campaign to encourage citizens to implement it,” said S Ravichandran of Cummins Group.

He said they would continue their work of segregating waste at the collection points during Ganesh festivals so that all waste is segregated effectively to keep the city clean and ensure their is no water pollution. According to the PMC, at least six lakh Ganesh idols are immersed in water bodies every year which have been polluting it. The maximum idols are from household celebrations so the awareness campaign would focus on reaching out to residents with free supply of ammonium carbonate.

PMC Joint Municipal Commissioner Suresh Jagtap said the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has given a go ahead to the civic body on its initiative to check water pollution. The NCL is a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Cummins is a group of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, air handling and filtration.