Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Sept. 5: Heavy showers over the past 24 hours dampened Ganesh Puja celebrations in the twin cities today.

Bhubaneswar received 32mm rain during this time, while Cuttack's share was 31.2mm, the India Meteorological Department said.

Places across the state also received rainfall today. The department has predicted thundershowers across the state over the next two or three days along with strong winds in some parts of north and south Odisha due to the formation of a low-pressure over Bay of Bengal.

Several Puja organisers struggled to complete their pandals and decorations before the start of the festival today.

"Our expenditure increased by Rs 20,000, as we had to cover the entire pandal with polythene due to heavy rain in the past 48 hours," said Kishore Das, the member of a Ganesh Puja organising club.

Nuapada in Cuttack is famous for its gigantic Ganesh Puja pandals and this time 32 clubs has come up with huge structures. Several of these clubs were seen struggling with the final touches to the décor today.

The situation was not much different in Bhubaneswar.

Ashrumochan Mohanty, president of a club in Madhusudhan Nagar, said: "Our area has become waterlogged and it's hard to transport the idol. We also had to put in extra money to cover the entire area near the pandal so that people could offer puja without getting wet."

The ongoing water dispute between Odisha and Chhattisgarh is the highlight of the Ganesh puja celebrations in Cuttack this time.

The members of Panchayati Club have come up with a pandal, which showcases the dispute.

"We have invoked Lord Ganesh for amicable solution of the dispute between the two states," said Umakant Das, a member of the club.

Das said their pandal showcased the genuine problems, including water and electricity scarcity, that several parts of Odisha will face if a major dam is constructed over the Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh.

Be it the replica of Parliament or Golden Temple of Amritsar, there is stiff competition among youth associations to showcase the best decorated pandal.

"Each club in Cuttack is spending between Rs 4 lakh and Rs 8 lakh for construction of pandals. Bulk of the money is usually collected through donations," said Jay Durga Club secretary Naresh Sahu.

Several clubs in Cuttack had also come up with eco-friendly Ganesh idols as part of the ongoing measures to put a check on water pollution during immersions.

Emergence Club at Ranihat has come up with a Ganesh idol made of 15,000 flowers procured from Bangalore and Thailand.

"The base of our structure was made of bamboo and we used flowers and other natural items to give the idol its final shape," said Dilip Behera, a member of the club.

Several theme pandals have also come up in Bhubaneswar.

Ganesh idols with selfie stick in hands and ones busy playing games on the laptop have caught attention of devotees.

When the rains receded slightly late in the evening, people were seen coming out of their homes for pandal hopping.

"It's fun checking out the theme pandals," said Monalisa Nayak, a resident of Nayapalli.