PoP Idol Immersion: Bombay HC Takes A Step In The Right Direction

By laying down, on Thursday, that all Ganapati idols made of Plaster of Paris (PoP) and less than six feet in height would have to be “necessarily” and “mandatorily” immersed in artificial water bodies across Maharashtra, the Bombay High Court has pushed both the Maharashtra government and millions of devotees to be more mindful of environmental concerns around the upcoming Ganeshotsav, the ten-day public celebration of the elephant-headed God that is a part of the state’s socio-religious tradition and culture. Only PoP idols higher than six feet are now permitted to be immersed in natural water bodies, mainly rivers and sea fronts. The state government, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, will now have to amend its guidelines issued on July 21 on this subject.

The HC had, last month, lifted a ban on the manufacture and sale of idols made of PoP, which makes this week’s order significant. This issue has been hanging fire, with many stakeholders arguing their interests on a PIL filed against the immersion of PoP idols in natural water sources, which relied on the guidelines of the Central Pollution Control Board that broadly ban this practice. Expectedly, Ganapati idol makers, the large majority of whom craft them in PoP, had pleaded their side of the argument, as did the Fadnavis government, which has been caught between two stools. It cannot afford to hurt the sentiments of millions of Ganapati devotees or jeopardise the Ganeshotsav celebrations that mean thousands of crores to the economy, but it is obliged to uphold the law and rules on maintaining environmental standards.

This has become an issue mainly because devotees prefer idols crafted with PoP to the fragile traditional clay, called shadu in Marathi, for its sturdiness in transporting, decoration, and the use of colour. Large idols are almost always made with PoP. However, the material cannot be disposed of in any natural water body without it causing immense damage to the water and the marine ecology in it. The PoP is non-biodegradable, and idols crafted in this material take weeks, sometimes months, to decompose. Besides, the chemically toxic paints used on such idols have heavy metals like mercury and lead, which are hazardous to the aquatic life. Large-scale water contamination due to the immersion of thousands of such idols raises pollution concerns for the water bodies, soil, groundwater, and aquatic life.

Environmentalists have repeatedly warned about the pollution and demanded a cap on the size and number of such idols. However, going back to the traditional clay also presents an ecological challenge in itself, given the demand for idols in the tens of thousands and the consequent extraction of the earth. The matter is likely to linger. However, for this year, the HC’s direction is clear: worship and celebrate, but not at the cost of natural water bodies.