The Delhi Government has prepared 81 artificial immersion ponds across the capital for Ganesh idols and is establishing 110 collection centres for old, damaged idols and puja material, in a civic initiative aimed at protecting public spaces and water bodies during religious observances.
The arrangements have been announced under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s leadership and cover all 13 revenue districts. The government said the plan is intended to provide residents with organised and dignified alternatives to leaving religious material under trees, in parks, along roadsides or at other public places.
The 110 collection centres will allow devotees to deposit old and damaged idols, flowers, garlands and other religious material in designated containers. Suitable locations, including temples, are being identified for the centres so that residents can access disposal facilities closer to their homes.
Preparations for Ganesh immersion have been completed at 81 designated artificial ponds. According to the Delhi Government, the sites will include arrangements for security, sanitation, lighting, medical assistance, emergency response, traffic management and environmental protection. Authorities will also remove idol remains and other material after immersion and clean the sites under the prescribed process.
The Chief Minister has appealed to devotees to use only the designated artificial immersion sites and not immerse idols in the Yamuna or other water bodies. Residents have also been urged not to dispose of puja material in rivers and water bodies.
The government has asked devotees to give priority to eco-friendly idols and avoid Plaster of Paris, colours containing harmful chemicals and decorative materials that could damage water bodies and the environment. The restrictions are intended to reduce the amount of non-biodegradable and potentially harmful material entering Delhi’s water systems during the festival.
The initiative addresses two separate but connected civic problems: the handling of religious material after use and the management of immersion-related waste. Without designated facilities, old idols and puja material can accumulate in public spaces, while immersion in natural water bodies can add solid waste and other pollutants to already stressed urban waterways.
The Delhi Government said the arrangements were made in coordination with concerned departments across the capital’s revenue districts. The facilities are expected to allow religious practices to continue while shifting disposal and immersion activity into managed sites where municipal services can be provided.
Rekha Gupta said the government’s objective was to ensure that religious faith and environmental protection complement each other. She described cleanliness and environmental protection as a shared responsibility between the government and citizens and urged residents to use the designated collection containers and artificial immersion sites.
