ECO-FRIENDLY-GANESH IDOLS

This year Ganesh Chaturthi will be a little less polluting.
A Mumbai-based non-governmental organisation, the Sadguru Shree Aniruddha Upasana Trust, headed by Dr Aniruddha Joshi aka Bapu, has taken up the task of spreading awareness about environment-friendly Ganesh idols.
"One-and-a-half months back we decided to encourage people to make Ganesh idols using paper pulp, which will reduce pollution and won't harm fish," said Sandhyaveera Jaykar, a member of the trust.
Earlier, Jaykar said, idols were made of clay, which is not easily available and is heavy. So artists started using plaster of paris, which is cheaper and lighter, and chemicals. But these cause pollution.
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The organisation collects waste paper, shreds it, and turns it into pulp, which is then rinsed, dried, and again put into a mixer to get fine powder. The powder is then mixed with water to be made into papier mache. Around 20 per cent clay and starch is added to the material so that it binds well.
Except for the golden colour used for the crown and other ornaments, the colours used are natural, mostly vegetable dyes.
"Golden colour makes the idols attractive," Jaykar said. "We are trying to find out how to make eco-friendly golden colour."
Idols prepared in this fashion dissolve in water within a few hours. "We got a very good response from people, who called us from various places to congratulate us for our efforts," she said. "We also received idol orders from them."
This year the trust made idols in three sizes — 6, 9, and 13 inches high, costing Rs 75, Rs 150, and Rs 175, respectively. They received orders for 235 idols from Mumbai and 35 from Pune.
"Making Ganesh idols using paper pulp is easy and anyone can come to learn it from us," said Chetan Dabholkar, another member of the trust. "We do not charge any fee."
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The trust has also approached professional idol-makers to teach them how to make the eco-friendly idols. "We taught an idol-maker from Pen, where a lot of idols are made," said Dabholkar. "He has agreed to promote the use of paper pulp in idol-making."
The trust's job doesn't end with making idols, though. There is also a post-immersion plan in place, where devotees visit various seafronts a day after the immersion and collect all the idols that have floated back. These idols are then re-immersed.
Also, the floral offerings, which are not allowed to be thrown into sea, lie scattered on the beaches. These are also picked up and taken away for vermiculture.
We are making 2,500 paper pulp idols this year
We first started creating eco-friendly idols with the idea of preventing water pollution that kills aquatic life. The idea came from activist Aniruddha Joshi who has been at the forefront of this campaign to promote the use of eco-friendly idols. Our organisation has been making toys for students in rural areas from paper mach�. So, we decided to make idols from the same material. Initially we used paper pulp mixed with clay and now we use only paper pulp. All colours used to paint the idols are safe as per the permitted toxic levels. We researched for one year to arrive at the best method for making these eco-friendly idols. This year we've made 2,500 such idols. People from around the city have understood the importance of installing environmentally safe idols. Our volunteers sculpt the idols that range from six inches to four feet in height.
--Sunil Mantri. CEO, Sadguru Shree Aniruddha Upasana Trust
Use clay and natural colours
You have to consider the 'scale' of the immersion before delving into its other aspects. If only a few were immersed in the Arabian Sea it would be okay. However, thousands of idols are immersed in the Arabian Sea every year during Ganeshotsav. Most of these idols are made up of Plaster of Paris (PoP). A major drawback of PoP is that it does not dissolve easily. As a result, idols disintegrate into rocky lumps and when these hit the seabed, they cause a churning effect. As a result, all the pollutants that are long settled on the sea-floor, mix with the water above. This entire process has a disastrous effect on the marine life among which the fishes are worst impacted. When humans eat fish with toxic substances, it leads to various ailments related to the digestive system. Besides PoP, the paint applied on the idols is very eco-unfriendly. During the immersion, pollution is also caused by plastic bags containing flowers and other puja material that are dumped into the sea. The only way out of this vicious cycle of pollution is to make idols of clay. I know this might sound a little impractical considering the fact that some of the idols are many feet high. But at least the smaller idols can be made with eco-friendly substances. Idol makers can use eco-friendly paint on the Ganesh, which would go a long way in mitigating marine pollution.
--RV Sharma. Scientist-in-charge, National Institute of Oceanography, Regional Head of Mumbai
The PoP and toxic paints used in the creation of the idols cause a lot of damage to the environment. Other accessories, like puja material or the nirmalya, add to the water pollution. PoP is basically a calcium sulphate hemi-hydrate derived from gypsum. It takes anywhere between a year to three years to fully dissolve. Chemical paints contain heavy metals, namely, mercury and lead. These are poisonous and seep into the water as soon as the idol starts dissolving. This causes the levels of two harmful contents in the water to increase: the acid content and the total dissolved solids (TDS). During the day the dissolved oxygen content increases and at night it decreases. This means that water-dwelling plants and animals get insufficient oxygen. The alternative would be to make idols with natural clay and natural colours as was the case in the olden days. In fact, even today many people make idols of natural clay. Also, some people choose to immerse the idol in a tank or bucket instead of a natural water-body. Or why not have a metal idol and sprinkle water on it to symbolise immersion? This is another advantage of using natural clay. Parking huge pots at immersion sites for disposal of nirmalya material is also a great idea. This will eliminate the needless pollution caused by them.
--Prashant Mahajan. Environmentalist, Bombay Natural History Society
Encourage the use of eco-friendly images
We keep a silver Ganpati at home and take it out to worship every year during the festival. We immerse it at home in a bucket of water. I think the mayor has taken a good initiative to make the festival more environmentally friendly. People are becoming more and more aware of the harm caused by PoP images and toxic paints. The government should make it compulsory for people to install eco friendly Ganpatis.
--Dipaali Bhosle
Make clay idols widely available
We have been getting Ganpati home from the last eight years. We usually get a PoP Ganpati as clay images are not available everywhere. We immerse the idol at the Malad beach but make sure that we cause as little pollution as possible. What the mayor is suggesting is a very good idea indeed. But I think they should first make sure that clay Ganpatis or even the artificial water tanks are accessible to all people.
--Siddharth Mishra