Debris, idols and other festival items in the kalyani at Ulsoor Lake. Contractors say it will take two days to clean the kalyanis.
Credit: DH Photo/HIMADYUTHI DESPANDE
Bengaluru: A day after the immersion of Durga idols in Bengaluru's lakes, contractors and their teams have begun cleaning the designated kalyanis to restore them with clean water.
At the insistence of the Bengali associations in the city, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) designated the kalyanis of four lakes — Ulsoor, Agara, Mallathahalli, and one or two in Mahadevapura — as important sites for Durga idol immersion. However, officials clarified that Mallathahalli was not a designated lake.
Fresh tenders were issued, and contracts awarded for the maintenance, cleaning, and restoration of the kalyanis following the immersion.
“We have a team of 40 volunteers who work on pumping out dirty water, removing debris, and finally restoring the kalyani by pumping in clean water— all within two days of the immersion,” said Babu, who oversees the cleaning efforts at Ulsoor Lake.
He said approximately 200 sets of idols were immersed in the lake on Sunday alone, with each set including Durga, Ganesha, Subramanya, Lakshmi, and Saraswati.
The teams are equipped with cranes and water-pumping machines to facilitate both the immersion and the cleaning of the kalyanis.
This contract-based maintenance system for lakes during festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Durga Puja has been in place for several years.
Suma Rao from BIOME Environmental Trust said this approach ensures that the lakes are cleaned and restored promptly. “Since immersions occur only in the kalyanis, it becomes easier to clean them without polluting the rest of the lake,” she explained.