With eco-consciousness on the rise, Ganesh Chaturthi 2025 marked a major shift nationwide toward greener, more sustainable festivities. From Mumbai to Ranchi to Visakhapatnam, various communities, institutions, and individuals have effectively championed eco-friendly practices, transforming the festival into a symbol of environmental responsibility.
In Mumbai, the shift to sustainability is evident in immersion statistics: during the Visarjan between August 28 and 29, over 60,000 idols were immersed in artificial ponds nearly half of them eco-friendly varieties. This marked a significant leap from last year, when only about 30,000 eco-friendly idols were immersed.
Mumbai's municipal infrastructure for immersion has also expanded with hundreds more artificial ponds now in use. Pandal-goers in Mumbai have also witnessed visually stunning idols created from mud, roots, rope, and tissue paper, further emphasizing the blend of artistry and sustainability.
On India’s eastern coast, Visakhapatnam has seen a surge in creative eco-efforts. Artists such as Moka Vijay Kumar crafted Ganesh idols from millets like kodo, foxtail, little millet, finger millet, and black little millet, tying cultural symbolism with sustainability. Clay idol workshops, often involving children, encouraged personalization and ownership; some even used clay sourced from places like Araku.
In Lucknow, an artist collective used scrap material from the carpet industry such as cotton threads, paper waste, leftover fabric—to craft Ganpati idols. These eco-conscious idols not only kept waste out of landfills but also supported local artisans financially, blending environmental stewardship with community upliftment.
In Indore, the Municipal Corporation organized an eco-friendly Ganeshotsav contest, urging residents to reduce, reuse, and recycle. The initiative even included hydraulic platforms and earth movers for large idols at designated ponds, ensuring safe and eco-conscious immersion.
In Ranchi, communities across residential societies, hostels, and households have combined tradition with environmental awareness by choosing dissolvable clay idols—including some embedded with plant seeds and replacing plastic and thermocol with recyclable paper streamers, natural dyes, and flower petals.
Highlighting this shift, the Sapphire Hill Residential Society immersed Ganesh idols in on-site containers and creatively reused the immersion water to nourish their plants
These varied efforts, from grassroots creatives and educational institutions to civic authorities point to a growing cultural shift. The festival's essence is being preserved and enhanced through eco-conscious practices.
