Bhubaneswar: Despite awareness campaigns and creation of six temporary artificial ponds for eco-friendly immersion of idols, most Ganesh idols from the city were immersed in the Kuakhai river, leaving behind waste affecting water quality. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) had dug the ponds since July at strategic locations near the Kuakhai, Daya bridge and Tankapani bridge.Official sources said though infrastructure was in place, there was no effective regulatory mechanism to ensure that puja committees use only the designated artificial ponds. The absence of strict enforcement allowed many organisers to continue the traditional practice of immersing idols in the river.BMC additional commissioner Kailash Chandra Das said the civic body informed police about the violations and taken steps to address the issue. “We have alerted the sanitation teams to clean the riverside. We usually clean the artificial ponds after idols are immersed and separate the liquid and solid waste,” he said.According to BMC engineers, preparations had been made well in advance for a smooth immersion process. Like previous years, enforcement personnel and civic staff were expected to jointly guide puja committees to the designated sites. BMC also issued detailed guidelines specifying the pond meant for spcific pandals to avoid overcrowding and confusion.City engineer Prafulla Raita said adequate arrangements have been made at the immersion sites. “Each pond at a time can accommodate 25 big idols and 50 small ones. We dug the ponds, but regulating is not our job. It is the job of sanitation teams and police. After immersion at the artificial pond, solid waste will be shifted to the dump yard,” he said.BMC has been promoting immersion in artificial ponds since 2017, following advisories issued by the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) to civic bodies in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack over growing pollution in rivers and other water bodies. Before the initiative, idols were routinely immersed in Bada Pokhari, Nua Pokhari, Joka Pokhari, Malianta Pokhari, Bhim Kunda, Bindu Sagar, and nearby rivers.
