Over 1.97 lakh Ganesh idols immersed across Mumbai
As the festivities came to an end, officials said that that as much as 1982 metric tonnes of Plaster of Paris (PoP) was recovered until 2.00 pm on Sunday and was transported in as many as 436 vehicles.
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Cumulatively, 1,97,114 Ganesh idols were immersed in Mumbai over four days, which are earmarked for immersions, during the Ganesh festival. (File Photo)Over 1.97 lakh Ganesh idols were immersed across the city during the course of the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festivities in the city, which ended on Sunday.
Following the final day of Visarjan on Anant Chaturdashi on Saturday, data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) showed that over 1982 metric tonnes (19.82 lakh kg) of Plaster of Paris (POP) remnants were collected following the immersion rites until Sunday morning.
Heavy rainfall on Saturday failed to dampen devotees as they flocked the streets to celebrate Anant Chaturdashi, which marks the final day of the 11-day Ganesh Chaturthi.
According to officials, at least 36,746 idols were immersed in the final day of the festivities, of which 5,937 idols were from Sarvajanik (public) pandals. However, immersion of the iconic Lalbaug cha Raja idol was stalled and faced significant delays owing to the high tide and technical challenges on Sunday morning.
Cumulatively, 1,97,114 Ganesh idols were immersed in Mumbai over four days, which are earmarked for immersions, during the Ganesh festival.
Of these, the highest number of idols were Gharghuti with 1,81,375 idols from households, followed by 10,148 idols from Sarvajanik pandals and 5,591 idols of Gauri.
Records showed that maximum idols were immersed on the 1.5 day of Visarjan when 60,434 idols were immersed, followed by 59,704 idols on the seventh day Visarjan festivities, 35,746 idols on the 11th day and 30,000 idols on the fifth day.
As the festivities came to an end, officials said that that as much as 1982 metric tonnes of Plaster of Paris (PoP) was recovered until 2.00 pm on Sunday and was transported in as many as 436 vehicles.
Devotees carry ganesh idols for immersion in the Arabian Sea, at Ananta Chaturdashi (10th day of ganesh chaturthi festival), at Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai. (Express Photo/Sankhadeep Banerjee)
This year, the BMC has charted plans to re-use the PoP collected from immersion sites at recycling plants.
Meanwhile, the BMC also recovered 508 metric tonnes of “nirmalya” (sacred offerings) which were deposited across 594 nirmalya kalash (pots for sacred offerings) installed across the sites.
In a bid to promote eco-friendly immersion this year, the BMC had created over 290 artificial tanks, marking a jump from the previous year when over 204 artificial ponds were installed.
Created using inflatable tubes, artificial ponds are makeshift tanks filled with water. The use of artificial ponds prevents the Plaster of Paris (POP) – used for making Ganesh idols – from dissolving in the natural water bodies, which impacts aquatic life.
Meanwhile, 70 natural water bodies were also earmarked for carrying out Visarjan in the city. In one incident, an immersion procession took a fatal turn for a 37-year-old man who was killed after being electrocuted on Saturday night.
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