Over 10,000 metric tonnes of waste and debris fished out and removed from city in a simultaneous clean-up action following the Ganesh festival; disinfectants sprayed in water bodies to prevent breeding of mosquitos
In more than two days of immersion of idols on the occasion of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, over 10,000 metric tonnes of waste and debris was fished out of water bodies and removed from the city
The city saw a massive surge in the number of devotees out to immerse idols at various points in the city, especially on Sunday and Monday (Sept 19 and 20).
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What really made a tremendous difference, was the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s (GHMC) strategy of simultaneous retrieval and collection of waste from all water bodies big and small.
While the convergence of crowds was overwhelming at the city’s Hussain Sagar artificial lake, known as ‘Tank Bund’ in common parlance, the gathering at smaller water bodies was no less.
A GHMC report says 60,097 idols were immersed in small ponds, and 23,094 in the lakes. As many of 215 action teams, comprising 8,116 sanitation workers, were deployed to clear up the trash along the 303km-long procession. Another 1600 workers from the GHMC’s Entomology Department sprayed anti-larval chemical in all the baby ponds.
The heart-shaped lake fed by a tributary of the Musi River, with an area of 4.4 square kilometres and 3.2 kilometres in length, was built by Hussain Shah Wali, during the reign of Ibrahim Quli Qutub Shah in 1562 AD. The bridge spanning the lake, links the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
Reports from the GHMC say that as many as 60,097 idols were immersed in small ponds, and 23,094 in the lakes. As many of 215 action teams, comprising 8,116 sanitation workers, were deployed to clear up all trash along the 303km-long procession routes in the city. They laboured round-the -lock in three shifts for two days.
Additionally, another 1600 workers from the GHMC’s Entomology Department sprayed anti-larval chemicals in all the baby ponds to prevent breeding of mosquitos.
Also, large number of a particular species of fish (Gambusia) were released into these ponds. These fish are natural exterminators as they voraciously feed on and eliminate mosquito larvae in the waters, GHMC authorities say.
At one time estimates put the number of natural and man-made lakes at around 7000, which had earned Hyderabad the distinction of being known as ‘The City of Lakes’. Today their numbers have drastically shrunk to around 70, although some other estimates put the figure at 500.
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