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Punekars opt for a ‘swach’ Ganesh immersion process
Solid Waste Collection and Handling (Swach) collected 89,460kg of wet nirmalya, 28,850kg of dry decoration material and 31,000 idols on the last day of the Ganesh
Solid Waste Collection and Handling (Swach) collected 89,460kg of wet nirmalya, 28,850kg of dry decoration material and 31,000 idols on the last day of the Ganesh immersion on September 12, in turn restricting residents from dumping such items in the rivers and ensuring an eco-friendly festival.
At least 80 members of its staff, along with 150 wastepickers and volunteers were present at 22 ghats across the city during the Ganesh festival to collect nirmalya, decoration material and idols in order to ensure an eco-friendly farewell to Bappa.
Kanta Shinde, Swach member, said, “Residents have become aware of the environmental issues. I have a Ganesh idol at home and over the years, I practice what I preach and bring the bag of nirmalya for collection and help keep the rivers clean.”
Priya Kathuria, operations and events head, Swach, said, “The awareness among residents is growing. Now, those who come for Ganesh immersion know where to find us. I urge residents, corporates and other organisations to approach us in advance so that we can coordinate the entire process in a more organised manner,” added Kathuria.
Shailaja Deshpande of Jeevitnadi, who volunteered for Swach during the Ganesh festival, said, “Swach is doing good work. We must create a closed-loop next year and create some structure so that we can take the movement to the next level. People these days are aware of the conservation of the environment. I am optimistic that we will be able to gradually keep our rivers clean.”
Another volunteer Maithily Manekwad, said, “I noticed that most of the devotees carried big bags of nirmalya on the last few days of the festival and handed over to the Swach members. The arrangements done by the Swach members was commendable.”
Swach was assisted by Cummins, Emcure, Sudarshan, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and residents to create awareness about the need to stop river pollution and effective segregation of waste.
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