Ganesh immersion ponds in Delhi have been prepared at 81 locations, while the Delhi government has set up 110 special collection centres for old and damaged idols and religious material ahead of the immersion period. The arrangements are intended to support religious observance while preventing idols and puja material from being left in public spaces or immersed in the Yamuna and other water bodies.
The initiative, led by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, covers all 13 revenue districts of Delhi. The government said the artificial ponds would provide designated locations for devotees to immerse Ganesh idols, while collection centres would offer an organised disposal option for damaged idols and other religious material.
The collection centres include designated sites such as temples. According to the government, they are intended to prevent residents from leaving old idols under trees, in parks or along roadsides. Devotees have been asked to deposit damaged idols and religious material only in the designated containers.
The arrangements also include security, sanitation, lighting, medical assistance, emergency response, traffic management and environmental protection measures at the immersion sites. The government said it has coordinated these facilities across the revenue districts to manage the expected movement of devotees and maintain orderly conditions at the ponds.
Authorities have further made arrangements to remove idol remains and other material after immersion and clean the sites. The government has not provided a location-wise list of the 81 ponds in the supplied announcement, but said the sites had been prepared across Delhi for devotees.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta appealed to residents to use the designated artificial immersion sites instead of the Yamuna or other water bodies. She also urged devotees to choose eco-friendly idols and avoid Plaster of Paris, harmful chemical colours and decorative materials that can damage water bodies.
“The government’s priority is to ensure that religious faith and environmental protection complement each other,” Gupta said, according to the government statement cited by Millennium Post.
The arrangements reflect the civic challenge of managing religious material after festivals, when idols, decorative elements and puja articles can enter public spaces and water bodies. By separating immersion facilities from collection points for damaged idols and religious material, the Delhi government is seeking to manage two related activities through designated infrastructure.
The government said the initiative is intended to balance religious traditions, cleanliness and environmental protection while providing devotees with clean and organised facilities. The next operational step will be the use, supervision and post-immersion cleaning of the 81 artificial ponds and the collection centres across the city.