‘It hurts to see Bappa in this state after immersion’: What happens after Ganesh Visarjan?

The 10-day long festival that was celebrated with grandeur and cultural fervour across Mumbai culminated with the Ganesh Visarjan on September 17, which carried onto September 18 for some idols. Mumbaikars bid an emotional farewell to Bappa, reminiscing memories of the past days and wishing for his soon return. While Anant Chaturdashi saw devotees throng beaches and immersion sites in large numbers, the next day saw only volunteers and BMC workers collect waste at these sites.

Ganesh Visarjan holds immense significance for the festival, and it is a cultural phenomenon that the city witnesses every year. However, people often overlook the environmental consequences after immersion. Some Ganesh idols wash ashore in a dilapidated condition, especially those made of Plaster of Paris (PoP). Other waste is also generated in large amounts at beaches and other water bodies.

To combat this situation, BMC had encouraged immersing Ganesh idols in artificial ponds this year. Around 2.1 lakh idols were immersed in Mumbai over the 11 days of the Ganeshotsav, including over 37,000 idols on the final day. Out of these, 11,364 idols were immersed into artificial lakes.

The Bombay High Court (BHC) even directed the mandals to follow guidelines issued by Central Pollution Control Board in May 2020 regarding the ban on the use of PoP idols. However, this decision by BHC was issued on the eve of Ganeshotsav and PoP idols were used during the festival.

The perils of using PoP idols

PoP idols are not only harmful for the water bodies but also the marine life that inhabits these water bodies.

Stalin D, director of the NGO Vanashakti that had filed a PIL against immersion of PoP idols, explains, "PoP basically has gypsum, glues and paints, which are toxic to the marine environment and they don't degrade or dissolve easily. It makes the water unfit for life forms to survive. Many times, in water bodies, fish have been found floating dead the next day after immersion. The oxygen levels deplete rapidly when you put PoP into the water bodies."

He expresses hope for implementation of the ban on PoP next year. "I believe by next year we should be eradicating at least 90 per cent production of PoP idols. The last window was this year. By some strange twist of fate, our matter was heard only on the eve of the festival. If it was heard two months earlier, this decision would have come up and we would have had time to implement it. We couldn't get the results we wanted, but surely next year it will not be there. In fact, we are asking for a ban on the sale of PoP. We can't stop people from buying something, which is already in the market. So the process has to begin at the manufacturer level," he informs.

Has the negative environmental impact decreased over the years?

"Certainly not," Stalin is quick to say.

"I've spent more than 50 years in Mumbai. I was born here. As teenagers, we used to carry the idols and immerse it. It used to be very spiritual. Now, it has become more about other elements like bigger idols, music, gulal, etc.," he expresses.

"PoP is also a culprit because it gives rise to this never-ending competition of making the idols bigger and bigger. To allow these big idols to pass, many trees are also trimmed," he adds.

Suggesting some possible solutions, he says, "There should be some bar on the size of the idol. It has to be made of clay, essentially, and it should be transported and kept in a manner that it does not break or fall in the journey. After the immersion process, it's very heartbreaking to see the idol split and hands or head falling off just because it is not immersed properly."

He continues, "We managed to stop it from being immersed in natural water bodies. But now we need to understand the second part of it. Once the idols are immersed in the artificial tanks, then what happens?"

"It is ideally supposed to go for waste management and treatment at Taloja. It doesn't always go there. Authorities need to show some record. The whole process should be carried out in a more organised manner," he concludes.

The waste that washes ashore

Several volunteers from NGOs and educational institutions held post-visarjan beach clean-up drives to ensure that all undissolved idols are respectfully managed and the immersion sites return to normal.

According to a release by BMC, 550 tonnes of nirmalya (flowers and other offerings) and 360 tonnes of solid waste was cleared from Ganpati immersion sites. Thousands of idols were immersed across the city in 204 artificial ponds and 69 natural water bodies, including lakes and the ones off the beaches. As many as 7,000 civic employees, school and college students and volunteers from NGOs collected the waste.

While the issue of waste generation and management needs more disocurse, Dr. Chinuu Kwatra, founder of Beach Warriors, believes that there has been a reduction in waste generated after visarjan over the past few years.

"We conducted clean-up drives at Dadar Beach, Prabhadevi and Juhu Koliwada. Every year, we are seeing 10-20 per cent decrease in the waste on beaches. There has been awareness and a lot of people are switching from PoP to clay idols," he comments.

"Secondly, the number of artificial ponds have increased. In Thane, there was an artificial pond every 1 or 2 kms this time. Thirdly, authorities are also conducting extensive clean-up drives now. This is a positive change I have seen after working on ground for 7 years," he adds.

Giving insights on the kind of waste that is still found, he says, "Plastic waste is always there. Apart from that, we also find Bappa's crown, clothes, jewellery, other ornaments, etc. Some idols do not melt because they are made of PoP. Because of this, Bappa is in a different state after visarjan. It hurts to see this."

"For 10 days, we celebrate the festival with grandeur and on the eleventh day, we are not bothered at all. Environmental impact aside, because that is something people don't see to care about, we can at least be the change and bring the change for Bappa, so as not to see him in this condition," he expresses.

Shubh Mehta, founder of Change In Us, an organisation that conducted clean-up dirves at Girgaon Chowpatty, reveals, "Post visarjan, we usually find three things during clean-up drives. First are the PoP idols, second are the wooden or metal structures around those idols and the third is flowers, decoration, etc."

Ask him if he has seen any change in the waste produced over the years and he is quick to say, "I think it has remained fairly same. Smaller murtis are immersed on the second, third or fifth day. We usually conduct clean-up drives after the tenth day, so we only find bigger idols. The previous idols and waste are already cleared by BMC by then."

But, he observes, "We are noticing that more and more waste is being generated by people attending the immersion at these sites. If we find idols, it's understandable. But people are coming at the beach, leaving their slippers, food packets, bottles, etc. That has increased quite a lot."

Other waste generated during the festival

Apart from the what is collected from beaches and immersion sites, other waste is also generated during the festive season.

Smita Birkar, founder of Earth5R which conducted waste collection and recycling drives during Ganeshotsav in collaboration with BMC, reveals, "During Ganeshotsav, the thermocol waste generation is extremely high and there are people who have been storing it from ages in their house. So, the idea was to create awareness that thermocol can be recycled. Till now, the waste that we have collected is 50 per cent decoration and the other 50 per cent is new packaging of consumer goods people have bought during festive sales like TV, fridge, etc."

She further states, "BMC gave us all the pickup points of driveway centres in Mumbai. Any other society, who wished to register, could do it individually. The dry waste that we collect is condensed, compressed and sent for making picture frames."

Environmental awareness and waste management are two important pillars that can help reduce the impact of the festival on nature and marine life without compromising on traditions.

Also Read: Celebrating across borders: How expats cultivate a strong connection with Ganeshotsav