ECOGANESH.COM | Eco Friendly Ganesh Utsav

March 15, 2012 by memumbai

Ganesh Chaturthi 2012 is over. So will be looking to go for Eco Ganesh Idols for 2013.

Ganesh festival in Mumbai exhibits enormous energy throughout the festival. There are thousands of Ganesh idols which are worshipped by Mandals and in households. This increase in Ganesh idols in modern times is also contributing to serious environmental pollution.

Everyone know immersion of idols causes water pollution. But really don't have insight of the problem. Awareness of chemicals involved and its adverse effect is very important.

Earlier idols were made of traditional mud. Now a days the idol is made of plaster of paris painted using toxic chemical dyes to make them bright and attractive to buyers.

Effects of Plaster of Paris:

• Plaster of paris contains gypsum, sulphur, phosphorus and magnesium.
• Chemical paints contain mercury, cadmium, lead etc.
• These materials poison water bodies, by increasing chemical and organic content.
• In the process, ecosystems in these water bodies gate harmed and plant and fish species die in large numbers.
• Water that has been polluted in this way can cause diseases when drunk by people living downstream.
  

Idols made from Plaster of paris are light weight and attractive. Plaster of paris don't get dissolve easily in water. After immersion it takes more than 48 hours to get dissolve in water. Sometimes bulldozers are required to crush them into particles. The remains of statues lay on the beaches next day of immersion. It leads to dishonouring to our Ganapati Bappa.

The result of untraditional idols results are seen after the immersions which is seen at all the beaches in Mumbai as shown in picture below:

Immersion of these can poison the waters of lakes, rivers and the sea by:

• increasing acidity
• increasing solid matter
  
• increasing organic matter
  
• increasing content of heavy metals
  

Such pollution damages the ecosystem by:

• Killing the fishes
• Damaging the plants
  
• Blocking the natural flow of the water and causing stagnation
  

And damages health by polluting drinking water sources causing

• Breathing problems
• Blood diseases
  
• Skin diseases
  
• The Alternatives
  

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Eco Friendly Mud/Clay Ganesh Idols

The eco friendly Ganesh idols made from mud have lot of importance through rituals and for our environment. These Ganesh idols dissolves in water not more than 10 hours. It is said that Ganesh Mud idols attracts more pure spiritual particles known as "Pavitraks" of Lord Ganesh.

So what is the solution to overcoming the above problems?

• Use permanent idols made of brass or stone
• Do a symbolic immersion
• Reuse the same idol again the next year
  
• Use a small unpainted idol made of unbaked clay if you immerse the idol
  
• Immerse the idol in a tub or a water tank
  
• Collect the flowers and nirmalya and compost them
  
• Avoid the use of thermocole and plastic in decorations
  

Several groups are now developing ecosensitive Ganesh idols that do not pollute. Amongst the materials that people are experimenting with there are idols made out of recycled waste paper, natural clay and other natural fibres.

Know more 

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