Village sarpanchSatraj told TOI, "We put up banners and decided in a special panchayat that no one will be allowed to immerse Ganesha idols in the lake this year. Every year, hundreds of idols from Gurgaon and nearby areas are immersed here."

Villagers said it causes pollution, which may have taken the lives of several animals throughout the past year, and has become a health hazard for them.

Krishan, a villager, said, "It is convenient for urban folks to immerse idols here during Ganesh Visarjan. But we have to bear the brunt of the after-effects throughout the year. Many a time, our cattle have been injured by sharp objects in the lake such as broken pots and iron rods immersed along with the idols. Besides, water pollution poses a threat to health of villagers."

Officials of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) agreed that one of the major reasons for the deterioration of the lake's water quality is due to religious activities. "The immersion of idols definitely causes a lot of pollution. Though people think idols are made of just mud, they also contain chemical colours," said a HSPCB official, requesting anonymity.

The major problem plaguing Damdama Lake is that it doesn't have any ownership. Neither the irrigation nor forest department is responsible for its upkeep. Some villagers take money from people and allow immersion of idols. There is hardly any check on the waste dumped along with the idols.

Last year, TOI reported the issue as: "Damdama Lake in Gurgaon feels pollution pinch" on October 13, about debris from Ganesh puja immersion floating in Damdama Lake 15 days after the Visarjan.

Nitish Ahuja, a resident of Chandigarh, who has been conducting a study to save Haryana's lakes, said more than 800 kg of varnish, oil and grease, 100 kg of inorganic colours and 200 kg of puja items were found in the lake.

People celebrating GanpatiUtsav in the city expressed helplessness. "Across the country, Ganesha idols are immersed in water bodies. People these days use organic Ganesh idols. There is no other water body where rituals can be performed. We are now in big trouble. The announcement came at the last moment," said Raman Naskar, a resident of Sector 4 who brings home an idol every year.

Some residents, though, are getting together to create small artificial water bodies to perform the rituals. "We do this quite often. During Chhath puja and GanpatiUtsav, we dig 5-ft-deep pits and immerse idols. The pits are covered after a few days," said Narayan S Bhargav, a resident of Sector 4.