Kanpur: Artificial pond for idol immersion poses health scare

Kanpur, (Uttar Pradesh) [India] Oct 20 (ANI): Artificial pond created to immerse Goddess Durga's idol in Kanpur failed to achieve its aim of eco-friendly celebration as it poses health scare among locals here.
The residents of Kanpur's Golaghat area have been facing health problems for last three years due to idol immersions in an artificial pond dug up under the National Mission for Clean Ganga initiative.
Idol immersion, which is a ritualistic part of Durga Puja, marks the end of the celebrations.
People living in slums complaint about an increase in the mosquito population in their homes, due to the remains of the idols. "After the idol immersion, no one cleans the area. Children and women in our homes are getting sick as mosquito population is on the rise because of this," said Ramesh, a local resident while speaking to ANI.
"The dirt here lies for years. The authorities are turning a blind eye about this situation despite several requests to clean this up. We fear that someone might drain this dirt into the Ganga River again," said another local resident, Satya Prakash.
Meanwhile, in Odisha's Bhubaneswar and Cuttack cities, municipalities have taken a step in the right direction. In Cuttack, three artificial ponds were dug up in Davigada Ghat, which is the prime location for immersions in the city, situated on the bank of Kathajodi River.
"This time our aim was to prevent River pollution during this festival and for that, we took these steps," said a Cuttack Municipal Corporation official.
While in Bhubaneswar four ponds were dug up, near Kuakhai River, Daya River, and Pandra River by the city's municipal body.
Following the same trend, a pandal in New Delhi's CR Park immersed the idols in a temporary tank. (ANI)