18 drown during immersion of Ganesh idols in Maharashtra
As many as 18 people drowned yesterday in various parts of Maharashtra during Ganesh idol immersion on the last day of the festival, officials said today. Three deaths each were reported in Raigad, Jalna, and Pune (Rural) districts, two each in Satara and Bhandara, and one each in Pimpri-Chinchwad, Buldhana, Nanded, and Ahmednagar. Besides, one person also drowned in a lake in Kanjurmarg, Mumbai.
Five people rescued after their boat tilted in Arabian Sea
Officials said in a separate but related incident that five were rescued after their boat tilted in , Arabian Sea near Girgaum Chowpatty in South Mumbai today during the immersion ritual. Yesterday marked the culmination of the 11-day festival, which saw devotees carrying Ganesha idols for immersion in rivers and lakes. In big cities such as Pune and Mumbai, processions continued well past midnight.
To avoid pollution, civic bodies created artificial ponds for immersion
While public Ganesh mandals preferred to take their idols for immersion to sea shores or rivers, families immersed their smaller idols at homes in buckets of water. To avoid pollution of natural water bodies, many civic bodies had also set up artificial ponds for immersion. The festival, which began on Ganesh Chaturthi on September 13, concluded yesterday on 'Anant Chaturdashi'.
