Mumbai’s Ganpati Visarjan Leaves BMC With 2,854 MT Idol Remains As Scientific Disposal Plan Remains Unclear

Mumbai's Ganpati Visarjan concluded on Friday, leaving the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) grappling with over 2,854 metric tonnes of idol remnants. Since the 12-day Ganeshotsav festivities ended, the BMC has been intensifying efforts to collect remains of immersed Ganpati idols from natural water bodies and artificial ponds scattered throughout the city.

As of Sunday morning, an impressive 2,754.85 MT of these remains had been retrieved and transported to Mulund dumping plot. This figure represents more than 250 MT more than the previous year, but the BMC remains uncertain about their scientific disposal methodology. Until this method is determined, the retrieved materials will be stored at the Mulund plot, alongside last year's 2,500 MT, which is also awaiting disposal.

The Bombay High Court has directed the BMC to ensure environmentally friendly disposal of the idol remnants, with two methods proposed by a state-appointed expert committee: biological disintegration through chemical treatment or the calcination process (wet and dry). A response from a Wada-based company, which was floated by the BMC for interested firms, is still pending, as the deadline for the Expression of Interest submission is September 29.

Until a scientific disposal method is finalized, the materials will be stored at the Mulund plot. In Pune, the ritual of Shrimant Bhausaheb Rangari Ganpati's Visarjan was marked by cold-fire illumination and floral showers. The BMC had experimented with processing 10 metric tonnes of materials on a pilot basis last year, resulting in usable items like benches, but found it to be both expensive and infeasible, leading to reliance on private companies for scientific processing.

This year, to encourage environmentally friendly immersions, all idols below 6 feet in height were mandated to be immersed in artificial ponds, while those above 6 feet (including PoP and clay) were to be immersed in natural water bodies. This year's Ganpati festival saw over 1.99 lakh Ganpati and Gauri idols immersed across Mumbai, including both natural and artificial sites.

In total, the BMC's solid waste management department retrieved 2,854.7 MT of idol remnants using 707 vehicles. The highest quantities were collected from K/West ward (314 MT), which includes Juhu Chowpatty, followed by S ward (253 MT), D ward (249 MT) with Girgaon Chowpatty, and G/North ward (190 MT) with Dadar Chowpatty.