Hyderabad: More than 1.25 tonnes of worshipped sacred items have been collected through three editions of GHMC’s Project Udvasana, prompting the civic body to plan regular collection drives at temples across Hyderabad and create a permanent system for the disposal and recycling of religious waste.
The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) on Saturday conducted the third edition of Project Udvasana – Divine Waste Collection Drive at six locations across the city. Around 150 citizens participated in the latest drive, contributing 753 kg of worshipped sacred materials, including over 1,200 pooja frames and deity photographs, 84 idols, and 235 religious albums and calendars.
With the latest collection, the initiative has recorded 313 citizen drop-offs across three drives. GHMC said the response from citizens, Resident Welfare Associations and temple managements indicated a growing demand for a formal mechanism to handle religious waste that is often discarded in lakes, water bodies or open spaces.
Swati, trustee of Sri Dharmasai Temple, said many people bring old deity photographs, calendars, books and damaged idols to temples because they are unsure how to dispose of them respectfully. “Some people leave them under trees or near temples. Sometimes they even end up in lakes because people feel these sacred items cannot simply be thrown away. This initiative gives them a place to bring such items so they can be recycled and reused properly,” she said.
Officials said several participants collected worshipped items from neighbours, friends and nearby households and brought them to collection centres, reflecting increasing public participation in the initiative. The civic body said temples that participated in the drive reported being overwhelmed by the volume of sacred materials received, highlighting the long-standing need for an organised system for their respectful handling and disposal.
Nitya Srinivasan, a resident of Kukatpally, welcomed the initiative. “A lot of sentiment is attached to these items. The least we can do is ensure they are segregated properly, treated respectfully and recycled in a proper dharmic manner after performing the required rituals,” she said.
Based on the response, GHMC has proposed institutionalising Project Udvasana by conducting regular collection drives at interested temples on designated days across Hyderabad. The initiative aims to establish an accessible citywide ecosystem for the collection, segregation and responsible recycling of worshipped sacred items.
GHMC has invited temples, non-governmental organisations, volunteer groups, corporate organisations and citizen groups to partner with the programme and organise similar collection drives.
The project is part of GHMC’s sustainability efforts to develop formal disposal systems for different waste streams while encouraging community participation in waste management. Officials said the initiative seeks to combine environmental responsibility with the respectful handling of religious materials, while reducing the burden of improperly discarded sacred waste across the city.
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