Berhampur has started eco-friendly idol immersion at four artificial ponds created by the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BeMC), as the civic body seeks to reduce water pollution during the Durga Puja immersion period. The temporary facilities have been established at Ambapua, Gosaninuagaon, Meenakhi Nagar and near Binayak Acharya College.
The ponds were set up in accordance with guidelines issued by the Odisha State Pollution Control Board. BeMC has barricaded the sites, installed lighting and deployed cranes to assist puja organisers with the immersion of idols, according to Sanjukta Rai Patra, the corporation’s superintendent engineer.
The civic body has appealed to organisers to use only the designated ponds rather than immersing idols in other water bodies. “We have appealed to puja organizers to immerse idols in the designated ponds and not in any other water body,” BeMC commissioner A Sasya Reddy said.
The arrangement places the immersion process within facilities that can be managed by the municipal administration instead of leaving individual puja committees to use water bodies across the city. The corporation has said the initiative is intended to limit the impact of immersion activity on water quality.
BeMC mayor Sanghamitra Dalei said the programme had received a positive response from puja organisers over the years. Around 50 community Durga Puja celebrations are organised by different committees in Berhampur, increasing the need for coordinated arrangements during the immersion period.
The district administration has also restricted the use of high-sounding DJs during the immersion procession. Berhampur sub-collector Avinash Kumar described the procession as very quiet under the restrictions. The measure adds a noise-control component to the civic body’s water-pollution response, covering both the immersion sites and the movement of processions through the city.
The use of cranes and illuminated, barricaded ponds is intended to make the process easier for organisers while allowing officials to manage access and operations at the temporary facilities. The corporation did not provide details in the report on the capacity of the ponds, the number of idols immersed or the post-immersion treatment of materials.
Police made elaborate security arrangements during the nine-day festival, and police sources said no untoward incident was reported during the celebrations. The immersion arrangements and procession restrictions will remain the immediate focus as puja committees complete the ritual at the designated locations.
