The one and a half day Ganesh idol immersion across Mumbai is being carried out smoothly and peacefully, officials said, adding that up to 3 pm on Thursday, the first day of Ganesh Visarjan 2025, 583 idols has been immersed.
According to official data of the Ganesh idol immersions in Mumbai till 3 pm included the following-
Sarvajanik (Public) idols immersed – 3, Gharguti (Household) idols – 575 and Hartalika idols – 5.
Out of the total, 326 idols were immersed in artificial lakes set up across the city. These included, Sarvajanik idols – 2, Gharguti idols – 321 and Hartalika idols – 3.
The civic officials said that so far no untoward incidents were reported during the immersion process. The civic administration and police has made adequate arrangements to ensure the safety and smooth conduct of the festivities.
The visarjan process will continue over the next few days, with larger crowds expected during the 5-day, 7-day, and final Anant Chaturdashi immersions.
Meanwhile, as the Ganesh festival 2025 began on August 27, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that this year it has set up 288 artificial ponds for the immersion of Ganesh idols.
In a post on X, the Mumbai civic body shared the list of all the artificial ponds in the city for the Lord Ganesh idol visarjan.
The 10-day Ganesh festival began in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra on Wednesday, with people enthusiastically welcoming their favourite elephant-headed god into their homes, housing complexes, and public pandals.
Chants of `Ganpati Bappa Morya, Mangal Murti Morya` filled the air as small, medium and large Lord Ganesh idols of the deity, accompanied by rhythmic beats of `dhol-tasha`(drums), made their way into the devotees` hearts and homes.
Elaborate decorations have been put up all over Mumbai to welcome the Lord, revered as the harbinger of prosperity and destroyer of obstacles.
Earlier, the Bombay High Court had directed that Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols up to 6 feet in height should be immersed only in artificial ponds during Ganeshotsav and Navratri festivals.
Subsequently, the government of Maharashtra issued directives on August 1, requiring local bodies to create additional artificial ponds. According to these directives, all idols under 6 feet in height must be immersed in artificial lakes.
Meanwhile, to encourage the use of eco-friendly clay idols, BMC has distributed more than 990 tonnes of free shadu (clay) soil to sculptors, along with 10,800 litres of natural paint on an experimental basis.
Of this, 7800 litres of paint and 3000 litres of eco-primer have already been provided.
The BMC has also appealed to Mumbaikars to immerse small Ganesh idols in buckets at home. The civic body has also set up artificial lakes across Mumbai for the immersion of idols, whether made of clay or Plaster of Paris (PoP). Devotees are encouraged to use these lakes for immersion. The list of artificial lakes is available on the BMC website (https://www.mcgm.gov.in), and QR codes providing access to the list are being circulated through various social media platforms. The Mumbai civic body administration has urged citizens to locate the nearest immersion lake and perform the rituals.
