Pollution levels high in City lakes post Ganesha festival

The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board Chairman Vaman Acharya on Wednesday said that paints used in Ganesha and Gowri idols have chemicals that pollute water bodies.

Thus, people should switch to eco-friendly idols that are painted with organic colours, he said.

He also expressed concern over indiscriminate use of thermocol which is non-biodegradable.“Thermocol has emerged as another pollutant. Artisans use it to make their idols made of Plaster of Paris strong,” said Acharya. “It takes a hammer to break an idol made using thermocol,” he added.

Festivities

Acquatic life in Sankey, Lalbagh, Yediyur and Shivapura lakes in the City have been hit  due to the recent Ganesha festivities.

To determine the levels of pollution in the water bodies, the KSPCB took water samples from the four lakes before and after the immersion of Ganesha idols.

The results have revealed that after immersion of idols the Oxygen level in the four lakes has reduced considerably.

The samples also tested for the presence of iron and mercury in Lalbagh lake, while there has been an increase in Nickel content from 0.24 per cent to 0.39 per cent in Yediyur lake. The samples also revealed presence of Cadmium.