Environmentalist distributes Lord Ganesha clay idols to prevent water pollution

Hyderabad, Sept 3 (ANI): A concerned environmentalist here is busy distributing clay idols for 'Ganesh Chaturthi' to prevent water pollution.

The ten-day long festival of 'Ganesh Chaturthi' that marks the birthday of Lord Ganesha is celebrated with great fanfare. Ganesha's idols are immersed in water bodies at the end of the festivities

The idols are usually made of Plaster-of-Paris, which degrade water quality.

In Hyderabad, these idols are mostly immersed in Hussainsagar Lake.

A sweetmeat shop owner Vijayram has been distributing clay idols for the last five years in an attempt to lessen water pollution.

"We have kept models also that depicts how water at Hussainsagar Lake looked 30 years ago and now. We give away clay idols and take a pledge to save water table," said Vijayram.

Residents too agreed with Vijayram.

"In order to avoid pollution of water, we are going to use these clay idols. We can prevent pollution of water. Chemicals are creating toxics in water and are killing so many aquatic organisms, which are surviving in water," said shwethamana laxmi, a resident of Hyderabad.

For years, Ganesh Chaturthi was a personal or private affair, celebrated at homes.

But at the turn of the century, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, freedom fighter and social reformer, converted it into a public event, using it as a platform to fight the British colonial rule.

The festival is hugely popular in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra. By Narendra (ANI)