Mumbai, Aug. 27 -- The BMC is prepared with new ways to contain water pollution during this Ganeshotsav. In line with directives from the Bombay High Court and the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB's) guidelines, the civic body released a fresh set of guidelines for the immersion and recycling of idols earlier this month. The BMC distributed over 1,000 tonnes of clay and more than 1,000 litres of eco-friendly paint free of cost to idol makers to help them transition from Plaster of Paris (PoP). The Maharashtra government has also directed idol makers to mark PoP idols with a red circular symbol. On the day of visarjan, the final destination for each idol will be decided based on its height. "All idols under six feet, regardless of whether they are made of clay or PoP, will be submerged in artificial ponds. Idols over six feet can be immersed in natural water bodies," said a civic official. The civic body has set up 288 artificial ponds throughout the city, while idols over six feet will be immersed in 68 natural water bodies. According to the SOP, the artificial ponds-managed by public organisations-will retain the remains of the idols inside the tanks for at least 15 days before they are collected for further processing. Meanwhile, idols over six feet, which are to be immersed in natural water bodies, are advised to be submerged between the low tide line (LTL) and high tide line (HTL). On a pilot basis, the civic body has begun setting up buoys-anchored floating navigation markers-to highlight the LTL and HTL, in line with the CPCB's guidelines. "The tide lines will be marked as per suggestions from the Maharashtra Maritime Board," said an official. The demarcation will take place in patches at Versova, Girgaon, Aksa, Juhu, Worli Jetty, and Dadar Chowpatty. After the immersions, the civic body aims to collect all PoP remnants from both artificial tanks and the sea, for which over 500 staff members have been deployed along coastal zones. "The PoP collected from the ponds and natural bodies will be transported to the ward offices. From all 24 ward offices, it will then be transported to a recycling facility in Bhiwandi for storage," said Kiran Dighavkar, deputy municipal commissioner of solid waste management....