Mumbai: After celebrating Ganesh chaturthi on Wednesday, several devotees immersed bappa's idols on Thursday. Several devotees celebrate the festival for 1 and half day, for which the visarjan is done on the next day of chaturthi.
The processions for the Ganpati visarjan began afternoon and continue till midnight. Mumbai has around 2 lakh household Ganpati and more than 12,000 registerd sarvajanik Ganpati mandals.
29,965 Idols Immersed Till 9 PM
As of 9 pm, a total of 29,965 idols were immersed, of which 29,614 were household Ganpati, 337 were Sarvajanik mandals' idols and 14 were hartalika idols. The prayers for Hartalika idols are held a day before Ganesh Chaturthi. No untoward incident reported during Immersion.
Devotees immerse Ganpati idols in Mumbai’s artificial ponds amid rain and tight security | Photo Credits: Vijay Gohil & Salman Ansari
BMC Expands Artificial Pond Network To 288 Sites
This year, the BMC increased the number of artificial ponds to encourage eco-friendly immersions. A total of 288 artificial ponds are installed across the city, against 204 last year. This follows the Bombay High court directions, which has mandated immersion of Plaster of Paris (POP) idols less than six feet into artificial ponds. While, taller idols are allowed to immerse in sea.
Devotees immerse Ganpati idols in Mumbai’s artificial ponds amid rain and tight security | Photo Credits: Vijay Gohil
Ward-Wise Pond Distribution Across Mumbai
Maximum of the artificial ponds are installed in wards like: G-South (Worli) with 24 ponds, E ward (Byculla) with 20 ponds, R-South (Kandivali) with 18 ponds, F-South (Parel) with 17 ponds, S ward (Bhandup) with 15 ponds and P-South (Goregaon) with 14 ponds.
Devotees Opt For Eco-Friendly Immersions
As per the BMC spokesperson, the bifurcation of idols immersed in artificial ponds and in the natural water bodies were not segregated at the time of going to press. However, he said that devotees this year chose artificial ponds over sea, in way to encourage eco-friendly festival celebrations.
LED Screens And Security Arrangements In Place
At several artificial ponds, LED screen was installed outside for devotees to see their idols being immersed properly. Long queens were seen across Mumbai near artificial ponds, with devotees drenched in rain, holding idols in hands waiting for the chance to perform the last puja before visarjan.
Also Watch:
To ensure, no outward incident takes place, the artificial ponds have enhanced security this year, while the mandal volunteers are also been trained to tackle any disaster situation.
