In Mumbai every year 70,000-80,000 Ganpati idols are immersed at about 50 places during Ganesh Chaturthi. This festival brings together millions of people but in modern times is also contributing to serious environmental pollution. Besides the noise created by the several Ganesh mandals during the festival, the immersion of idols made out of chemical materials causes significant water pollution.
The traditional mud idols have been replaced by Plaster of Paris(PoP) statues which are then painted using toxic chemical dyes to make them bright and attractive to buyers. These materials poison water bodies by increasing chemical and organic content. In the process, ecosystems in these water bodies get harmed and plant and fish species die in large numbers. Please sign the petition here to prevent this - http://ecoganpati.com Thanks.
