We have already seen:
It’s time for an eco-friendly celebration! 1. Eco-friendly idols rock! 2. Size matters: why small is sweet? 3. Do we really need so many public pandals?Examples:
1: How smart villagers showed their unity through “One Village-One Ganesha”
4. Go For Eco-Friendly DecorationExamples:
1: How green decoration became the best Prasadam ever!
2: How Sparsh Vinayak (Touch Ganesha) touched everyone’s heart
5. Say NO to noise pollution 6. Mind the waste you produceIt’s time to concentrate on…
7. Go for eco-friendly immersion (Visarjan)The Ugly Truth: What happens after the immersion?
Eco-friendly ways to immerse the idols
B) Immersion in artificial lakes / tanks:
8. Utilize the collected money for a noble cause A quick recap- How to celebrate eco-friendly Ganesha festival?7. Go For Eco-Friendly Immersion (Visarjan)
As the festivities come to an end, the idol is immersed in water (sea, river, lake, pond etc.). Household Ganesha idols are generally immersed on 1.5th, 5th, 7th and 10th day; whereas public Ganesha’s are immersed on 5th, 10th and 21st day. Every year, lakhs of household Ganesha idols and thousands of public Ganesha idols are immersed in water. Immersion of deities represents how everything that takes birth eventually dissolves in nature. So, the concept of immersion itself is eco-friendly. But on the contrary, an unfortunate fate awaits both the god and the environment after the immersion. Most of the offerings (fruits, flowers, sweets etc.) are carried in the Polythene bags. Sometimes, they are also immersed with the idols. Apart from these, additional waste in the form of decoration and accessories (thermocol, clothes, jewelry etc.) also gets dumped into the waterbody and clogs the water flow.The Ugly Truth: What happens after the immersion?
- Every year, the oxygen level in the sea falls by 50% immediately after the immersion.
- Acid levels in the water rise to an alarming extent
- Many fishes and other aquatic species die.
- Water gets heavily polluted. It becomes dirty and stinky too. This leaves many waterbodies in unusable state.
- The stench makes it hard for people to reside close to it.
- Dirty water from rivers and ponds becomes a hub for mosquito breeding.
Sr. No. |
Material contributed by immersion |
Impact on the environment |
| 1 | Plaster of Paris (POP) | Pollutes water and disturbs aquatic life |
| 2 | Chemical paints and dyes | Cause serious health (heavy metal poisoning) and environmental hazards |
| 3 | Decoration (clothes, thermocol, glitter, ornaments etc.) | Big pieces get collected and recycled while small pieces remain floating in water or settle at the bottom. Disturbs natural flow of the water. |
| 4 | Organic waste (Flowers, leaves, garlands) | Increase floating suspended matter |
| 5 | Polythene bags/plastic items | Leach harmful chemicals into water and also choke the aquatic life |
| 6 | Food offerings & diyas | Make the water oily, greasy, turbid and stinky |
So, what’s the solution?
A) Cleanup Drive:
It is no secret that immersing idols in water causes debris to build-up, and increases the water pollution levels. If the waterbody is not cleaned immediately, the biodegradable stuff starts to decompose. The whole neighbourhood starts to stink. It becomes difficult to walk without holding the breath due to the heavy stench in the air. Some idols and broken pieces float away and resurface on the banks the very next day. The condition of most of the beaches becomes so bad that it would be hard to say whether you are walking on the sand or on a dumping ground. In some places, the layer of waste is so thick that you may not even see or feel the sand below. If you can dare, just visit your nearby beach in the very next morning post immersion. Watch our lovely Ganesha idols lying in bits and pieces. I bet, you would never feel like immersing them in the water again. If you wait there for a longer time, it may even give you a harder shock. You may catch a bulldozer crushing whatever is remaining of the big idols; and then a garbage truck collecting these pieces and heading towards a dumping ground. Oh my god, that’s insane! So, if you are a true devotee, this is your real test. Just extend your devotion by one more day and collect these broken Idols from beaches with respect. Volunteer for clean-up drives. Dirty our hands a little for a cleaner future.How clean-up drives work?
Arrange a clean-up drive:
- Finalize the spot to be cleaned.
- Gather the volunteers from your area / housing society / social media to clean-up the debris.
- Take prior permissions from the local authorities in order to avoid any unwanted hassles during clean-up drive.
Take adequate precautions:
- The amount of chemicals and pollutants that will be lurking in the water post immersion is beyond our imagination.
- They can cause serious skin reaction and other health hazards.
- Hence, it’s better to take necessary precautions to avoid their direct contact with the skin.
- So, don’t forget to use gloves, facemasks, buckets and hand tools while collecting the waste.
Manage the waste:
- If possible, segregate the collected waste.
- Hand it over to the Municipal authorities for proper disposal.
Post drive:
- Upload the photos taken during clean-up drive on social media.
- This will create your good image in the society. You will get more likes and shares.
- It will also create awareness about this noble cause. This will help in gathering more volunteers for the next time.
Are clean up drives really helpful?
Yes, clean-up drives are undoubtedly helping the environment by cleaning up the beaches. But must the festival end up in volunteers cleaning up the mess created by others? Also, even if the beaches are cleaned very next day; for the little time that these idols are in the water, they do harm.Can we do something to prevent this in the first place?
Yes. Here’s a list of things we can do to make a changeB) Immersion in artificial lakes / tanks:
This method is useful for small and medium sized Ganesha idols. It has a great potential in reducing the load on natural water sources like sea, river, lake and pond etc.Pros:
- Artificial lakes are very convenient for immersion as you don’t have to travel far in search of water bodies.
- They are good for the environment.
How artificial lakes work?
Construction:
An artificial tank is constructed by the local municipal authorities.- A pit is dug out, with a sufficiently large capacity to contain idols from that area.
- The pit is covered with Tarpaulin sheets to ensure that no water or idols seep into the ground.
- Once the setup is ready, the pit is then filled with water.
- Embankments are made
- The tank becomes ready for the immersion
- A separate container is placed to collect the ‘Nirmalya’ or organic offerings (flowers, leaves and garlands etc.)
- Ganesha idols are immersed in the artificial lakes / tanks.
- These idols then accumulate at the base of the artificial tank.
- After removing the accumulated materials, the pit is again filled with soil.
Waste management:
Ideally, two tanks are constructed at each site. One for POP idols and another one for the clay idols. This way, the materials dissolved in water / accumulated at the base of the tank can be easily retrieved to make useful stuff.1)For tank with POP idols:
- POP is made of calcium sulphate.
- You will get two by-products after the immersion.
- Ammonium Sulphate in an aqueous state and Calcium Carbonate that will precipitate and settle down.
- Ammonium sulphate can be used as an excellent fertiliser
- Accumulated Calcium Carbonate can be recycled into a host of articles like POP bricks, containers etc.
2) For tank with clay idols:
- Dissolved clay from immersion tanks can be given to the idol-makers for reuse.
- This will mitigate the siltation problem
- It will reduce the carbon footprint involved in the mining and transportation of the shadoo clay.
- This will help in bringing down the price of idols.
3) Organic waste:
- Collected organic material like flowers, leaves and garlands etc. can be used to make a compost.
- Dry flowers can also be used to prepare natural dyes and handmade paper.
c) Symbolic Immersion
This method is even better than the artificial tanks. In fact, it is the best! It’s really great for small as well as large sized idols. Immersion of idols in water bodies, whether clay or POP is harmful. Especially in densely Populated areas. A good solution to the situation would be to ban POP idols and also the direct immersion in natural water bodies. So, instead of immersing Ganesh idol in a water body; we can symbolically immerse them at home. Symbolic immersion is rapidly gaining the popularity these days.Some examples of symbolic immersion:
- Immerse the clay idol in a bucket of water at home. Use the dissolved clay for your plants.
- Sprinkle a few drops of water on the idol. Wipe it off and donate the idol for recycling / reuse in the following year.
- Use plantable ganesha idol that contains seeds. Simply water the clay idol on immersion day to make it grow into vegetables.
- Immerse chocolate Ganesha in the milk and then distribute the chocolate milkshake to the poor.
- Get a permanent idol made up of stone or brass etc. Carry it in procession to the sea, hold it under the water, and then bring it back home for the next year.
- Make an idol made up of stationery/ food items. Sprinkle some water on them as a symbolic immersion; and then distribute the items to the devotees/ needy.
8. Utilize The Collected Money For A Noble Cause
Every year enthusiastic devotees move from door-to-door for fund collection. This is how they get initial money to set up elaborate public pandals and book the idols. While small pandals keep it simple and low budget; big and popular pandals usually spend a lot of money on extravagant festivities like fancy lights, musical fountains, band troupes and DJ etc. Such big pandals receive hefty amount of offerings in the form of ornaments and cash from thousands of daily visitors. Have you ever wondered, what happens to all the collected money? Or rather, what should ideally happen to that money? While we celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi with full enthusiasm, there’s an equally important part of the society which cannot experience this same joy due to poverty. Can we do something for them? Can we utilize this money for their betterment? Off course we can. Instead of spending so much of money on decoration, DJ and band performance during the immersion procession; this money can be kept aside for a noble cause that actually makes a difference. Similarly, you/ pandals can also ask visitors/ your relatives to offer money to Ganesha instead of sweets. What about donating the collected money to an NGO, orphanage, old age home or National Defence Fund etc.?This way, you/ pandals can…
- Support education of underprivileged kids.
- Give meals to the poor.
- Sponsor a surgery (What could be better than saving a life?)
A Quick Recap- How To Celebrate Eco-Friendly Ganesha Festival?
For Government/ local authority:
Encourage artists to work on eco-friendly idols by:
- Providing subsidies or loans on moulds.
- Giving dissolved clay from immersion tanks to the idol-makers for reuse. (This will reduce material and overall cost of the clay idol).
Create awareness about eco-friendly Ganesha idols and immersion by:
- Putting up posters and hoardings.
- Rolling out various advertisements in television channels and local newspapers.
- Organizing workshops for eco-friendly idol making.
- Organizing eco-friendly idol exhibitions.
- Launching a list of eco-friendly idol vendors from whom people could buy Ganesha idols.
- Organizing eco-friendly idol and decoration related competitions with attractive gifts and incentives to encourage people.
- Putting up ban/ extra tax on POP idols.
- Making strict laws for height of the idol, noise pollution, immersion of household Ganeshas in artificial tanks etc. Implementing these laws rather than just keeping them on paper is most important.
At the immersion sites:
- Construct artificial tanks and lakes for the immersion of idols
- Ban the immersion of POP idol into lakes, rivers and the sea.
- Keep 2 different tanks for clay and POP idols.
- Keep volunteers to ensure that people do not pollute the immersion sites. (Many organizations can came forward to help the government with this).
- Arrange an idol donation drive. This way, the idols can be collected and recycled for the next year.
- Put up containers to collect the flowers offered to the idol during these five days.
- Burning of solid wastes should not be allowed.
For housing society and public pandals:
- Keep smaller Ganesha idols
- Ban POP idols painted with chemical paints and dyes in your society
- Limit the number of public pandals by making one big pandal in your area for the entire neighbourhood
- Avoid loudspeakers and noisy DJs to reduce noise pollution.
- Try playing traditional instruments like Mridangam, Tabla etc. that are soft and soothing to the ears.
- Say no to air and noise polluting firecrackers.
- Make sure to turn off the music by 10pm and abide by rules.
- Form anti-noise committees in your society to keep an eye on such incidents and even inform the police if required.
- Skip plastic cutlery. Serve food in natural plates and bowls made up of paper / banana leaves etc. for distributing Prasadam.
- Conduct awareness programs to encourage people to donate their eyes and other organs posthumously.
- Instead of spending so much of money on decoration, DJ and band performance during the immersion procession; you can keep this money aside for a noble cause.
- Encourage visitors to donate money instead of regular sweet offerings. Utilize this collected money for a noble cause like supporting education of underprivileged kids, giving meals to the poor and sponsoring a surgery etc.
For Individual Households:
- Buy small Ganesha idol made up of Eco-friendly materials. Go for the idols that are painted with water-soluble, organic natural dyes.
- Spread awareness about eco-friendly celebrations.
- Use cloth/ paper bags to carry offerings such as sweets and fruits.
- Dispose organic offerings like flowers and leaves in paper bags for composting
- Ditch private vehicles while pandal hopping. Use public transport instead. This will keep unnecessary traffic congestion at bay.
- Immerse your idols in artificial lakes
- Do not litter the streets and immersion sites.
- Encourage your friends and relatives to donate money instead of regular sweet offerings.
- Donate the collected money (from offerings) to an NGO, orphanage, old age home, National Defence Fund etc.
- Arrange a clean-up drive. Use social media to engage more people and gather volunteers in a short time.
- Join clean-up drive to pick up the broken, tattered pieces of the idol, and clean up the beaches.
For Decoration:
- Say no to decorations made up of plastic and non-degradable materials
- Use eco-friendly decorative materials such as flowers, leaves, cloth, wood, coconut shells, jute or coir ropes, hay and paper etc. for decoration.
- Reuse materials from previous years in different ways
- Use natural materials such as turmeric, vermillion, rice powder, etc. to make Rangoli colours.
Lighting:
- Use LED lighting. It will save electricity and money.
- Wrap coloured transparent papers on the bulbs. This will give more colour options and dramatic look rather than buying expensive bulbs.
- Switch on decorative lights only when necessary.
Ganesh Chaturthi is almost here. How do you celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi? Do you have any ideas that can change the way we enjoy? Please feel free to share your experiences and opinions in the comments.
Also Read…
- 19+ Unique Eco-Friendly Ganesha Idols To Replace POP
- 46+ Tips To Celebrate An Eco Friendly Ganesha Festival
- All You Need To Know About Plaster Of Paris (POP) Idols