Delhi group resolves to ditch Yamuna and immerse Ganesha in water tubs

Year after year, innumerous Ganesha idols are submerged in rivers on Ganesh Chaturthi as a religious practice. This year could be different.

Ahead of the festival on August 25, many aren’t just switching to eco-friendly idols that don’t cause water pollution, but a Delhi-based association will ditch the waterways altogether. Shri Ganesh Sewa Mandal will submerge Ganesha in a huge tub of water instead of the much-polluted Yamuna river that flows through the city.

Founder-president Mahendra Ladda says, “This is the sixteenth year of our Ganesh Utsav (Dilli Ka Maharaja in Laxmi Nagar). We’ve been adopting ecofriendly ways for years, but more needs to be done. So, after the Shobha Yatra (ceremonious procession), we won’t take the idol to the river, and contribute to PM Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission.”

They are encouraging neighbourhood committees to also submerge their idols in the four water tubs that Shri Ganesh Sewa Mandal will be setting up.

The idea isn’t exclusive to Ganesh Utsav. Many plan similar eco-friendly steps for Durga Puja (beginning September 26). Abhijit Bose, executive chairman, Arambagh Puja, RK Ashram, says, “This one time, Puja committees in CR Park dug up the earth outside the pandals and filled it with water for idol immersion. We’ve requested Public Works Department to grant us permission to do something similar, as we, too, don’t want to pollute the Yamuna river.”

PHOTO:SUNIL GHOSH/HT