Ganeshotsav is one of Maharashtra's most beloved festivals — ten days of music, sweets, flowers, and devotion. But for our rivers, lakes, and the earth that receives our beloved Bappa each year, it has also become a season of stress.
The Silent Problem in Our Sacred Rivers
Traditional Ganapati murtis were made of shaadu mati — natural river clay that dissolves harmlessly in water, returning Bappa to the earth from which he came. The ritual of visarjan was always meant to be a gentle return to nature.
Over the past few decades, Plaster of Paris (PoP) replaced clay as the material of choice — cheaper, lighter, and easier to mould into intricate shapes. Chemical paints followed. The result: murtis that do not dissolve. They break into chunks, leach heavy metals and sulphate compounds into the water, and disrupt the pH balance that aquatic life depends on.
Studies by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board have found alarming spikes in Dissolved Oxygen (DO) depletion in rivers like the Mula-Mutha in Pune and the Godavari in Nashik during and after Ganeshotsav, directly linked to idol immersion.
What Does Eco-Friendly Visarjan Mean?
Eco-friendly visarjan isn't about diminishing the ritual — it's about restoring it to its original form. Here are four approaches:
- Choose a shaadu mati murti. Made from natural river clay and painted with vegetable or water-based colours, a shaadu mati Ganesh dissolves cleanly in water within hours. Many local artisans in Pune, Nashik, and Kolhapur now offer beautiful shaadu mati options at competitive prices.
- Use a home dissolution kit. Many municipal corporations and eco organisations distribute kits containing a bucket, water, and a natural dissolving agent. You perform the visarjan at home, and the clay can later be used as garden manure — your Bappa literally nourishes new life.
- Immerse at an artificial pond. Several cities now have purpose-built artificial immersion tanks with filtration systems. The water is treated before release, and collected residue is managed scientifically.
- Donate your murti. If you have a PoP murti, rather than immersing it, hand it to a certified eco-friendly organisation. They ensure safe dissolution in controlled environments.
A Note on Artisan Livelihoods
The shift to eco-friendly murtis has not hurt artisan livelihoods — in fact, it has revived the craft. Shaadu mati murtis require greater skill and attention to detail than PoP. Artisan cooperatives in Pen, Satara, and Pune report growing demand each year as more families make the conscious choice.
Make Bappa Proud
Lord Ganesha is Vighnharta — the remover of obstacles. He is also deeply associated with nature, depicted with the elephant, the mouse, and surrounded by forest flora. The festival that honours him should reflect his own love for the natural world.
This year, let your visarjan be a gift to the earth — not a burden on it. Choose shaadu mati, donate your PoP murti, or immerse at an artificial pond. Bappa will find his way home, and so will our rivers.