Hyderabad’s Ganesh immersion concludes on Saturday afternoon; 1.2 lakh idols immersed

The Ganesh idol immersion procession in Hyderabad concluded peacefully at Hussain Sagar on Saturday afternoon after spilling into a second day. Nearly 1.2 lakh idols were immersed across the city, with GHMC sanitation teams clearing over 4,500 tonnes of festival waste.

Hyderabad: The main Ganesh idol immersion procession which spilled over to the second day concluded peacefully at Hussain Sagar on Saturday around 2 pm. The last few vehicles carrying idols were seen at the lakeshore late in the afternoon.

Hundreds of towering idols, which accumulated overnight from Friday into Saturday morning, stood in long, vibrant queues stretching across key central corridors. A sudden morning surge saw between 500 and 800 idols along the city’s main roads cleared and immersed between 6 am and 2 pm on Saturday.

The barricades put up on the roads leading towards the water bodies were removed to restore vehicular traffic in the afternoon. 

Simultaneously, the GHMC sanitation teams were deployed along with mechanical sweeping units to clear festival debris along the main procession routes.

According to official estimates, about 1.2 lakh Ganesh idols were immersed on Friday and Saturday.

Tonnes of waste, including garlands, puja material, decorative items, coloured paper and broken coconuts, were floating on Hussain Sagar Lake. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has deployed floating trash collectors and an amphibious excavator to remove the waste.

Meanwhile, the GHMC which took up cleaning and sanitation initiatives post immersion, in a press release said around 4,527 metric tonnes of waste was cleared in the last two days. According to the civic body, this year’s festivities saw a surge in waste collection, with 4,527 metric tons generated compared to the 3,266 metric tonnes during last year’s festivities.

Sanitation workers were seen working round the clock to clear debris and restore the city’s water bodies and streets. Around 6,000 sweepers and 770 sanitation workers were deployed at immersion points and about 42 mini-tippers and 10 JCBs were operated, besides GHMC’s regular fleet.

Workers removed discarded floral garlands, dried leaves, broken coconuts and puja offerings. Disposable meal plates, water bottles, plastic cups, snack wrappers and promotional flex banners were also cleaned along Tank Bund and NTR Marg.