Installed with an eco-friendly pond, the van will ferry around the city on the main immersion days.
In an effort to promote an eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi among city residents, the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) on Sunday launched a door-to-door van service with Ganesh idol immersion facility in Pune.
Installed with an eco-friendly pond, the van will ferry around the city on the main immersion days during the ongoing ten-day festival. The institute has partnered with Ujjivan Bank for the initiative.
Since 2016, NCL has been distributing ammonium bicarbonate which, when dissolved in water, helps to easily dissolve idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP). About 100 tons of the chemical have since been provided free of cost to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) which erects make-shift ponds across the city and encourages the public to perform the immersion in these ponds.
The step was taken after it was learned that an estimated 5 lakh Ganesh idols made of PoP are worshipped in Pune city during the festival and later immersed mainly in the riverside. However, growing awareness and efforts to make the festival eco-friendly in recent years have ensured that many of the idols are now made using non-PoP materials.
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