Govt bodies to promote clay Ganesha idols HYDERABAD: Ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi next week, government bodies are going all out to ensure that celebrations are not made at the cost of the city's environment.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority(HMDA) in collaboration with the Federation of Resident Welfare Associations-Malkajgiri is promoting small clay Ganesha idols. They are being distributed across the twin cities with the help of NGOs and schools.
"The idea of the initiative is to create awareness among people about the environment including Hussainsagar. There is a need to educate people on the various aspects of eco-friendly Ganesha idols such as their size, colours and immersion methods," said B T Srinivasan, general secretary, Federation of Resident Welfare Associations, Malkajgiri.
The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has spent Rs 31 lakh on clay Ganesha idols to be distributed across the state, of which Rs 7.5 lakh was spent on making the five feet tall idols meant for community prayers.
Officials are trying to promote the idea of community idols in an attempt to reduce the number of idols which are immersed in the city's water bodies.
Clay Ganesh idols, around eight inches in size, have already been distributed to each of the 150 wards under the GHMC to be used for community prayers. Other districts of the state too have received these idols from the APPCB.
"We wanted to look at conservation beyond Hyderabad and the Hussainsagar and hence decided to involve other districts to have eco-friendly idols as well," said Prasanna Kumar, social scientist, APPCB.
Over the weekend, the APPCB is also looking to distribute 16,000 smaller clay idols in 16 select locations around the city through various NGOs.
With the PCB, still uncertain about the validity of 'eco-friendly dyes', all the idols distributed by them are colourless.
"Discussions are still on about the availability and what constitutes eco-friendly colours. This is an aspect which needs to be looked at further and colour manufacturers need to step in as well," Kumar said.
As an incentive for mandals to be nature friendly, the APPCB will also conduct competitions among the mandals who will be graded accordingly on the basis of their noise and cleanliness levels during the ten-day long festival.
Meanwhile, the health and sanitation department of the GHMC is also doing its bit to spread the environment-friendly idols. The department has distributed moulds and clay to 91 government schools in the twin cities to get students to make their own idols.
The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority(HMDA) in collaboration with the Federation of Resident Welfare Associations-Malkajgiri is promoting small clay Ganesha idols. They are being distributed across the twin cities with the help of NGOs and schools.
"The idea of the initiative is to create awareness among people about the environment including Hussainsagar. There is a need to educate people on the various aspects of eco-friendly Ganesha idols such as their size, colours and immersion methods," said B T Srinivasan, general secretary, Federation of Resident Welfare Associations, Malkajgiri.
The Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) has spent Rs 31 lakh on clay Ganesha idols to be distributed across the state, of which Rs 7.5 lakh was spent on making the five feet tall idols meant for community prayers.
Officials are trying to promote the idea of community idols in an attempt to reduce the number of idols which are immersed in the city's water bodies.
Clay Ganesh idols, around eight inches in size, have already been distributed to each of the 150 wards under the GHMC to be used for community prayers. Other districts of the state too have received these idols from the APPCB.
"We wanted to look at conservation beyond Hyderabad and the Hussainsagar and hence decided to involve other districts to have eco-friendly idols as well," said Prasanna Kumar, social scientist, APPCB.
Over the weekend, the APPCB is also looking to distribute 16,000 smaller clay idols in 16 select locations around the city through various NGOs.
With the PCB, still uncertain about the validity of 'eco-friendly dyes', all the idols distributed by them are colourless.
"Discussions are still on about the availability and what constitutes eco-friendly colours. This is an aspect which needs to be looked at further and colour manufacturers need to step in as well," Kumar said.
As an incentive for mandals to be nature friendly, the APPCB will also conduct competitions among the mandals who will be graded accordingly on the basis of their noise and cleanliness levels during the ten-day long festival.
Meanwhile, the health and sanitation department of the GHMC is also doing its bit to spread the environment-friendly idols. The department has distributed moulds and clay to 91 government schools in the twin cities to get students to make their own idols.