The State Pollution Control Board is promoting Ganesh clay idols to avoid the contamination of water bodies. The Ganesh festival is scheduled to commence from September 5 in Godavari districts.

The PCB authorities in East Godavari, are planning to distribute 25,000 clay idols. As many as six sites have been identified at Kakinada including Sarpavaram Junction, Balaji Tank, Main Road and other places. The idols are free to buy.

Authorities are also going to distribute booklets containing literature explaining the significance of the Ganesh festival and dos and don'ts - from the stage of making the idols to immersion. Officials also asking the idols to be small in size as tall idols may cause problems during transport.

Devotees are being urged to avoid use of synthetic colours. The PCB authorities are also keeping an eye on the water quality at places which have immersion permission. They will lift samples of water before, during and after the immersion of idols and send the samples for analysis to determine the scale of pollution of the water bodies. They will keep a check on water samples at Kakinada Canal and at Samalkota Canal where more many idols are expected to be immersed.

East Godavari PCB engineer D. Ravindra Babu said: “Devotees should feel the responsibility to safeguard the environment and protect water bodies from pollution. In West Godavari too, the PCB authorities are going to distribute as many as 5,000 clay idols of about 10 inches height free of cost. A booklet containing dos and don'ts with regard to idols will also be handed out.

West Godavari PCB official S. Venkateswarlu said: “Apart from promoting clay Ganesh idols, we will keep a check on quality of water at Eluru canal near Ambika theatre and also near Hanuman Nagar where the idols will be immersed.”

Also Read: Pre-Orders Start for Clay Ganesh Idols

BY M. DIVYA SRI