Hussainsagar lake yields 6,226 tonnes of garbage after Ganesh immersions

Immersion of the idols of Lord Ganesh after nine days of festivities has yielded waste material of elephantine proportions from the Hussainsagar Lake, costing the exchequer a bomb for its retrieval and transportation.

Heaps of waste consisting of wood and iron scrap could be seen lying on the banks of the lake two days after the immersion. Much of the solid waste twice in weight has already been carted to the solid waste management facility in Jawahar Nagar. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), in charge of the lake’s cleanup, has removed a whopping 6,226 metric tonnes of the garbage from the water body during the past 10 days.

HMDA had awarded tenders to two different agencies for removal and carting of waste material related to Ganesh Immersion fete, costing ₹72.4 lakh. Thirteen earth movers have been pressed into service by the contractors, while HMDA deployed its six floating trash collectors and two amphibious excavators for the job.

Several floating trash collectors and earthmovers, apart from transportation vehicles are being pressed into service for the job. Waste removed from the lake will be carted first to the transfer station close by, from where, after segregation, the remaining waste will be transported to the Jawahar Nagar landfill.

Iron scrap remains to be a contentious component of garbage after Ganesh immersion every year, with neither the municipal body nor HMDA taking charge of its disposal.

Allegations are that the scrap from the idols, weighing several thousands of tonnes is being collected and sold by private contractors. It is not counted in the garbage retrieved from the lake, nor is it factored in the contracts awarded for lake’s cleanup.

Solid waste arriving at the dump indicates that the garbage has been less than last year. Since September 1, the maximum weight in solid waste received at Jawahar Nagar in a single day, was 8,810 metric tonnes on September 11.

This is over 800 tonnes higher than the average daily garbage received through the August month, which was 7,968 metric tonnes. However, it is less than the last year’s figures, when the solid waste facility received a maximum of 9,600 metric tonnes of garbage on September 24 during the nine days.

Published - September 20, 2024 12:48 am IST