The Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation is considering permanent artificial lakes beside natural water bodies to manage Ganesh idol immersion, reduce pollution and prevent disputes between citizens, police and civic officials during the festival. Municipal Commissioner Prithviraj B.P. said the plan could be implemented from next year, while the civic body has provided temporary artificial immersion facilities at 128 locations this year.
The proposal follows repeated disagreements over immersion in natural lakes, where some residents continue to prefer traditional sites. The civic administration believes that constructing permanent artificial lakes next to major natural water bodies could preserve the customary setting of immersion while directing the activity away from the natural lake itself.
According to the report, the issue has been particularly visible in Kopri village in Virar East, Chakreshwar Lake in Nalasopara, Moregaon and Atale. Disputes over immersion at these locations during this year’s Ganesh festival led to confrontations involving residents, police personnel and municipal officials.
The corporation currently creates temporary artificial lakes every year as an environmental protection measure. This year, 128 such facilities have been arranged across the municipal area. However, the temporary nature of these facilities and the preference of some devotees for natural lakes have limited the administration’s ability to prevent immersion-related conflict and protect the water bodies.
The proposed permanent facilities are intended to address both concerns. Municipal officials said artificial lakes located alongside the main natural lakes could help respect devotees’ religious sentiments while reducing the entry of idols and immersion materials into natural water bodies. The civic body is also considering similar facilities at locations beyond the main lake sites.
The proposal reflects a recurring challenge for municipal administrations: festival infrastructure must accommodate large, time-bound public use while also protecting shared environmental assets. Natural lakes often serve multiple urban functions, including stormwater storage, groundwater recharge and neighbourhood open space. During immersion periods, they can also face increased pollution from plaster, paint, decorative material and other festival waste, although the supplied report does not provide measurements of the pollution caused.
For residents, the effectiveness of the proposed lakes will depend on their location, capacity, access and operational arrangements during the festival. The report does not specify the number of permanent facilities planned, their proposed construction cost, the land parcels involved or whether environmental assessments and permissions will be required. It also does not state how the corporation will enforce the use of artificial lakes once they are built.
The corporation has indicated that implementing the permanent-lake plan during the current festival season is not possible. Commissioner Prithviraj B.P. said the experiment would be implemented effectively from next year. Until then, temporary artificial lakes remain the civic body’s principal arrangement for managing immersion and limiting pressure on Vasai-Virar’s natural water bodies.
