The Environmental Impact of the Ganesh visarjan: It's high time for Green Ganesha: Clay Ganesha

[Gunwant Joshi]

India embodies unity in diversity. A spectrum of culturally different rituals and festival are celebrated each year in India. However, with festivals come environmental disasters. There is an urgent need to brood over such large-scale unbridled celebrations of Socio-cultural & Religious festivities and be aware of what are they doing to our environment so that we may modulate them with changing times. Safe drinking water is a problem in all the developing countries and our fresh water resources, the precious treasures, are under a severe attack as many festivals involve immersion of idols into water bodies as a symbol of returning the elements which give life, back to the earth for a new cycle to begin. Come Bhadrapada and the idols of Ganeshji are established not only in households but also at the community centres as the festivals of Ganesh Chaturthi and Durga Puja witness a massive community involvement. To match the contemporary ethos, new materials are being used for making and decorating the pendals with all the pomp and show without much thought being given to its impact on the environment. In the recent years, the practice of immersion of idols has become a growing cause of concern on account of its adverse environmental impacts, particularly on the water bodies. Toxic exposure of the larger community through deadly chemicals and heavy metals used for making idols is now under the scanner of authorities and enlightened groups. At the core of this concern is the issue of toxic materials and chemicals that has recently added a new dimension to the centuries old process of making idols and immersing them in water bodies(Visarjan). The growing size of idols and the desire for making them more and more colourful has forced idol-makers to shift from clay to the The increased use of Plaster of Paris as the base material. Immersion of hundreds and thousands of idols made of this material is wreaking havoc on our water bodies. When an idol made of Plaster of Paris which is insoluble in water is immersed in the water, it gets converted to gypsum, thus adding a large amount of material to the water that breaks down very slowly, while adding to the hardness of water, and degrading the life carrying capacity and quality of the water bodies. it degrades the ecosystem of the water bodies by forming an impermeable layer on the bottom of pond or lake. Mumbai’s sea beaches take in 1.5 lakhs of Ganesh idols every year whereas in West Bengal, over 50,000 idols are immersed in the Ganges river after Durga Puja. Thus the problem is spread countrywide. Immersion of idols in these natural aquatic ecosystems severely desturbs the whole ecological balance. The rampant use of harmful paints on the idols has triggered the fear of a health hazard and environmental pollution all across the country. Heavy metals like lead, cadmium and chromefrom which these paints are made are not easily assimilated in an aquatic environment and this leads to contamination of water bodies there by affecting various fish and prawn species. Further, they may even reach humans via the food chain when we consume the fish and other sea food. High levels of lead and other heavy metals can damage the heart, kidneys, liver, circulatory and central nervous system. The problem becomes more acute when the amount of input to these water bodies far exceeds their decomposition, dispersal and/or recycling capabilities. The toxics from anthropogenic inputs not only alter the natural fresh waters, but also have detrimental effects whose impact can be felt for long time. The looming environmental crisis is due to the non-biodegradable materials used for making these idols and also the fact that the number of idols has gone up dramatically over the years thus, implied that the concentration of such materials is steadily increasing After examining the water before and after immersion It has been found that the concentration of substances like calcium, magnesium, molybdenum and silicon and the heavy metals like arsenic, lead and mercury is increased. Surveys by several state & Central Pollution Control Boards, Indian Toxicology Research Institute and several independent researchers have found that the problem has already reached an alarming stage and therefore honourable supreme Court taking cognisence of these issues has ordered the CPCB to issue certain guide lines to conduct the practice of idol immersion in such a manner that minimum damage is caused to the environment. . In an effort to save whatever is left of our environment, we must attempt to urge people to stop using Plaster of Paris (POP) Ganeshas during Ganesh Chaturthi and start using clay ones. As the latter are eco-friendly and bio-degradable, they don’t cause any harm to the environment when immersed in water unlike the POP ones. Further we should also focus on as to how we can minimise the impact of these festivals on the environment without hurting people’s religious sentiments. The Lord Ganesh is the deity of wisdom and artistic expression May he guide us to celebrate these festivals in an environmentally sound manner. You may also visit my power point presentation on www.slideshare.net

[Vandana Chummun]

Now how do we reach the mass with this information? That is the issue.. :/

[Gunwant Joshi]

Yes you are very much right!

At M.P. Pollution Control Board, we have been monitoring the water quality priorto, during and 1 week after the Visarjan event for last few years now and making the data available to the local press media.

This year M.P. Pollution Control Board has asked all their 11 Regional officers to organise an awareness program beforehand for the local administration, the idol makers,NGO's, the Community/Pendal activity organisers and school teachers and explain and pursue them to adress the problem.

But personally I feel that the school managements and Teachers and through them the students is a very potential target group to be focused for the awareness campaign.

[SATISH KUMAR KOLLURU]

 reaching the public have always been the big hurdle for the programs like this, but we ahve a solution, STUDENTS.

school or intermediate or degree or engineering college students can be selected for this,

if we can able to give them full understanding over this issue, they will do the remaining job. they ahve the zeal and potential ( i believe in this, because i take the help of my students to do these sort of programs, they are the great media).

[Gunwant Joshi]

Yes I fully agree! I have been a university teacher my self at one point of time and also a student activist while doing my studies. Students, if once convinced for the righteousness of cause can do wonders!All the big movements of change wheather at national or international level have been initiated and affected by the students.

SATISH KUMAR KOLLURU said:

 reaching the public have always been the big hurdle for the programs like this, but we ahve a solution, STUDENTS.

school or intermediate or degree or engineering college students can be selected for this,

if we can able to give them full understanding over this issue, they will do the remaining job. they ahve the zeal and potential ( i believe in this, because i take the help of my students to do these sort of programs, they are the great media).

[Ranjeet singh kaurav]

sir,

very useful article at very right time .... this article can be a  source of awareness to public & specially students..!!  since the ganesha celebration is for peace as startedby shri tilakjii.. to bridge the gap between brahmin & non brahmin.. but every year this celebration is done to pollute our ecosystem .....

the govt. must start a nationwide awareness campaign to celebrate it in a ecofriendly way.....

once again thank you for a wonderful article in the service of environment.....

i searched  the ppt on slideshare.net .. kindly send the link so that i can see it ....

Thank you sir !!!

[GOPI KANTA GHOSH]

Pollution Control Board must Act. Any polluting activities must be banned.

[Gunwant Joshi]

Yes, You are very much right. The Pollution Control boards should take up this issue in right earnest to drive the urgency of this issue straight to the minds of all concerned.

At M.P. Pollution Control Board, we have been monitoring the water quality priorto, during and 1 week after the Visarjan event for last few years now and making the data available to the local press media.

In Madhya pradesh,this year M.P. Pollution Control Board has asked all the 11 Regional offices located in the divisional level, to organise an awareness program beforehand for the local administration, the idol makers,NGO's, the Community/Pendal activity organisers and school teachers and explain and pursue them to adress the problem. Two such RO activities have already been organised attended in large numbers and widely acclaimed. The remaining RO's are going to organise the workshops and seminars on this important issue within this week.

GOPI KANTA GHOSH said:

Pollution Control Board must Act. Any polluting activities must be banned.

[Ranjeet singh kaurav]

hello sir, 

Thanks for your concern !! yes i got the presentation at slideshare.net ...superb collection of information 

this PPT can be a source material for spreading awareness!!!

Btw i have even send a email !!!

Thanks 

[[e-mail]]

Now it is the time, we are celebrate our festivals  in green  manner. thanks for giving this valuable knowledge. 

[ShetBandhu Tiwari]

Environmental impacts of ganesh chathurthi & durga navmi.... 

1. To be able to choose the most appropriate methodology related with eco-friendly program 

2. water pollution caused by moorti visarjan of plaster of paris idols in to ponds & river bodies, this plaster of paris is composed of calcium sulphate hemi hydrate( caso4.1/2H20) DERIVED FROM gypsum, a calcium sulphate dihydrate, when it firing in low temprature and then reducing in to powder after dissolution in the water , some how it impacts on aquatic life of aquatic water bodies 

3. water pollution caused by paints by the immersion of idols. the naturally  occurring clay ( sadu in marathi) dissolve within hours in immersion in water, & it takes atleast four hours for settling of particles so that pollution may be controlled by using such ecofriendly ideas.....

4. me and my team has started a campaign for environmental impacts of ganesh chaturthi......

5. all the idols makers were called to attend & understand the methodology for ecofriendly moorti....

[Gunwant Joshi]

Dear shri SB,

Its great to learn about your concerns  to the issue and the steps you are taking to tackle the problem.

I shall be looking fore ward to learn more from you regarding point number 4 and 5 of your post.

Keep doing good work! My well wishes to you and your team.

Regards!