The whole of India just celebrated Ganesha Chaturthi and the festival ends amidst great pomp and fervor of faith after five, ten or twenty days. Hindu devotees from all over the city will flock to water bodies in their regions to immerse huge Ganpati idols and bid farewell to their beloved Ganesha. Dancing, chanting “Ganpati Bappa Morya”, with colors all over the air around the god of wisdom to bid goodbye with pleas to the god to return soon next year. Symbolically, Ganesha visits the home on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi and is bid farewell by the family members to represent the cycle of life that is creation and dissolution but what it leaves behind is heavily non degradable toxicants in the water bodies.
The immersion of Ganesha idols made up of Plaster of Paris in lakes, rivers and seas has lead to rise in pollution of the water bodies in the country. Initially the idols were made of clay but as the commercial production of idols grew clay being more expensive was replaced by Plaster of Paris. It is non biodegradable and thus remains in the water adding harmful substances like gypsum, sulphur, phosphorus and magnesium to it. The beautiful colors that are used for decorating the idols contain chemicals like mercury, lead, cadmium and carbon that consequently increases the acidity of water thus hampering the life of the aquatic animals underneath.
In a report published by the Central Pollution Board in 2009 a total of around 190,000 idols were immersed in the waters in Mumbai alone. Imagining the huge sizes of the Ganesha idols people adorn in their houses, one can surely understand the amount of heavy toxic load our waters are bearing. Along with the idols numerous accessories like coconut, colors, and stuffs made of thermacol which are used for decoration of the idols also go into the waters. The report also outlined the major concern of increase in the iron copper, mercury, chromium and acid content in the water bodies near Mumbai and other western towns where the celebration is at its peak. The CPB also worries about the ill effects that are being faced by the fishing community. After hours of hard work they often end up getting broken idol pieces tangled in their nets or mercury consumed dead fishes.
Originally celebrated in homes this festival has turned into a lavish and grand celebration but we must not forget that we are polluting the creations of Nature in the name of God. Here in we need to play the major part by creating awareness among people to not to use idols made of Plaster of Paris or chemical colors. Use clay made idols of lord Ganesha to make environment prosper as well. For what counts is your faith and devotion and not the size of the idols that you worship.
"For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love” (Psalm). So let us be righteous in our choices of celebrations so that our actions don’t turn to acts of injustice to the Mother Nature.