Scores of Vinayaka idols wash ashore after immersion, workers clear tonnes of debris

Scores of Vinayaka idols, which were worshipped over the past week, were found broken and washed ashore along the city’s beaches a day after the immersion on Sunday, leaving sanitation workers to clear tonnes of debris.

According to data from the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), 92.965 tonnes of waste were collected from the immersion sites between September 19 and September 20.

They included 9,413 idols, 61,690 kg of wooden pallets, 8,010 kg of flowers, 20,365 kg of dry waste, 1,550 kg of wet waste, and 1,350 kg of food waste.

Palavakkam accounted for the highest quantity of waste at 77.2 tonnes, including 57.1 tonnes of wooden pallets and 704 idols. At Srinivasapuram in Pattinapakkam, 4,879 idols were collected, the highest among the locations listed by the GCC.