As a part of the 'Save the Lakes' campaign, both the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority as well as Bangalore BruhatMahanagaraPalike (BBMP) have urged the residents of Bengaluru to switch to eco-friendly clay Ganesha idols this Gowri-Ganesha festival instead of the conventional Plaster of Paris (PoP) ones to prevent widespread lake pollution due to idol immersions.

Environmentalists say that the POP dissolves into water, thereby causing the lake pollution. On a brighter side, people seem to be heeding to the eco-friendly advice too.

According to the figures with BBMP, a majority of the idols immersed in the city's lakes were made from clay. The municipal authorities this time around had also put in place mobile immersion tanks as well as identified several zones in city lakes for immersions.

Even as immersions of clay Ganesha idols were reported from eight zones of BBMP, people opting for large size idols prefer PoP ones because of their lesser weight.

What is more alluring to the people is that many NGOs and resident welfare associations have volunteered to only use and dispose clay Ganesha idols.

Trying to Make a Difference (TMAD) is one such East Bangalore-based group of IT professionals which has been supplying clay Ganesha idols every Ganesha Chaturthi for the past six years.

TMAD, joint secretary, Anil Kumar BVN, told dna that this year his organisation sold 2,017 clay Ganesha idols. The sales of eco-friendly idols according to Kumar has only jumped over the past six years.

Although it is the smaller ones, which are sold the most, the higher price may act as a deterrent.

The base price of smallest Ganesha idols is Rs 1,000 and with added decorations, they may cost even more.

"Unfortunately, this has become a money-minting exercise for some people and they have turned clay idols into a business," Kumar said.

He added that the demand for clay idols is nevertheless increasing and that during the peak season, the supply short of demand.