Green Ganpati: Workshops for idol makers 2 months ahead of festival…..Dipti Sonawala
The Maharashtra pollution control board has set a target of having 50,000 househol idols made from eco-friendly material
With a view to promoting eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai this year, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) will hold workshops for idol makers and artists two months ahead of the festival. The decision was taken to discourage the use of plaster of Paris (PoP) and chemical colours for making the idols, a running theme every year for activists keen on reducing pollution during festivities.
This year, Ganesh Chaturthi falls on September 19. MPCB has already set a target of making 50,000 household idols with eco-friendly material. The decision to conduct workshops for idol makers and artists was taken after a meeting late last month between officials of the state environment department, MPCB and the members of Brihanmumbai Ganesh Utsav Samanvay Samiti (BGUSS), the body that represents mandals and idol makers in the city.
According to the MPCB guidelines, idols should be made from traditional clay rather than baked clay or PoP. The board has recommended painting the idols with water soluble and non-toxic natural dyes. Use of toxic and non-biodegradable chemical dyes is prohibited, the guidelines state.
If we go by the figures of last year, we have estimated that there would be around 1.65 lakh household Ganesh idols in the city this year. We want to ensure that a substantial number of idols is made of clay and other environment-friendly material, not plaster of Paris. So far, we have set a target of 50,000 idols, said Sanjay Bhuskute, MPCB spokesperson.
He added that they plan to have an SMS service where anyone wanting to buy an eco-friendly Ganesh idol can send a text message and the idols would be provided to them. We are working on ways to encourage and ensure an eco-friendly Ganesh festival. The SMS service is in pipeline, not finalized yet, said Bhuskute.
Naresh Dahibawkar, the president of BGUSS who has been promoting safe and eco-friendly Ganesh Utsav in the city, said they were glad that the MPCB had started taking the issue seriously. We are happy that MPCB is organising meetings and discussions from as early as February. We are offering our support to them. We have asked the state government for space so that workshops for idol makers can be organised on a large scale. The state environment minister Sanjay Deotale, who was present in the meeting, appreciated our suggestion to subsidize eco-friendly idols, which otherwise are costly, said Dahibawkar.
The MPCB and BGUSS have also decided to increase the number of artificial ponds for immersion. The idea is to construct eight to 10 artificial ponds in areas where there are over 2,000 idols for immersion. Last year, we had constructed only 19 artificial ponds for immersions in nine wards. We want to encourage people to immerse the idols in artificial ponds. We have also requested the state to help the civic body with funds for constructing these ponds, said Dahibawkar.
MPCB is planning to hold meetings with the big Ganesh mandals in Mumbai and Pune this month for suggestions on implementing steps to promote an eco-friendly festival.