The revised guidelines addresses and regulates the use of chemical and toxic substances in the making of the Ganesh idols and also in the decorations used to adorn the idols. Plaster of Paris, Chemical paints, single use disposables in the form of plastic and thermocol decorations are all prohibited under these guidelines.
This critique concerns the Revised Guidelines for Idol Immersion, published by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on May 12, 2020.
The guidelines are the result of a long debate. It dates back to the 2008 Bombay High Court decision in the matter of Janhit Manch vs. the State of Maharashtra, in which the regulation of idol immersions during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival was decreed. The CPCB published “Guidelines for Idol Immersion” in June 2010. However, they proved to be ineffective in preventing idols made of toxic, inorganic materials to be disposed of in water bodies. As an effect, Ganesh Chathurthi has continued to inflict substantial damages on the environment every year. It is, therefore, a good sign that the CPCB has recognised the urgency of revising the previous guidelines.
The ban on Plaster of Paris and chemical paints for religious idols that require immersion has been long awaited and it is a welcome move. We fully endorse this step and have laid out aspects below that we feel will enable the successful implementation of this ban.
The ban is mostly focussed on Hindu festivals – more description and measures for immersion during the Muslim festival of Muhurram need to be mentioned, with guidelines specific to their rituals.
The guidelines address the following stakeholders that are involved in the immersion of religious idols during festivals:
They include, among others, following points:
The publication of the revised guidelines has come at a time at which idol production for the 2020 festival has already been going on for several months. As in previous years, the timing has raised resistance from the idol makers. They argue that they would incur heavy financial losses, thus asking for a deferral which has yet again been granted. The signees, therefore, stress the importance of announcing the ban right after the Ganesh festival in order to give artisans enough time to switch from Plaster of Paris to eco-friendlier alternatives.
Furthermore, seventeen years have passed since the Public Interest Litigation filed by the Janhit Manch to result in a ban on use of toxic, non-biodegradable materials and their immersion. During this time, the quantum of pollution caused by the festival has irrevocably polluted precious water resources. It is imperative that the guidelines issued by the CPCB be brought into effect immediately and no concessions be made anymore.
Indians have become aware of the human impact on our ecosystems during the COVID-19 crisis. This has especially been visible through drastic improvement of water bodies’ quality all over India, such as the Mula-Mutha river. Therefore, this is the right juncture to encourage a more conscious behaviour also after the end of the lockdown.
What is not allowed?
What is allowed?
The ban of Plaster of Paris idols is a crucial step in rendering the Ganesh Chaturthi festival more eco-friendly, thus being a welcome addition to the previous guidelines. PoP is a non biodegradable man made substance that does not easily degrade and is not assimilated by the environment. Hence the banning of PoP will ensure that the water bodies stay clean.
The main alternative to PoP currently available in the market is Natural clay ( shaadu maati).
Natural clay is a non renewable resource. Traditionally, the clay needed for making idols was taken from local sources, from the sediment in lakes or on river banks. This was then returned to the same source it was taken from. The ban does not specify the source of raw materials for eg. Natural clay. The instructions regarding the sourcing, procurement and handling are missing.
However as the clay idol industry grew, it was then mined from specific regions to obtain a certain quality of clay. If everyone were to turn from PoP to natural clay, the quantum of clay needed would make its exploitation unsustainable, and create another ecological disaster. The process of mining clay also poses risks for contamination to nearby water bodies.
Additionally, environmental NGOs have raised the concern that big amounts of dissolved clay may create an impermeable layer at the bottom of the river that prevents water percolation into the groundwater aquifers.
Innovations are required in the materials used for making idols. The sentence, “the craftsman or artisans prefer to adopt innovative approaches” (p.3) leaves the choice of readjusting to a more sustainable production method to the idol makers. Innovations to reduce pollution, however, are not a matter of preference and must be made obligatory
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Recommendations:
On page 4, the guidelines state that “As far as possible, low height and eco-friendly idols […] should be used for offering poojas.” There is no specification of the height restrictions. The term “low” is subjective and leaves too much room for interpretation. The CPCB should, therefore, numerically specify the height and weight range of the idols depending on the type of water body in which they are immersed.
Recommendations:
Specific size limits must be provided by government for individual and community use.
Miniature idol immersion should be promoted and permanent idols for worship should be considered.
‘Enamel and synthetic dye based paints on idols should be discouraged instead of eco-friendly water-based, bio-degradable and non-toxic natural dyes should be used.’ This will also promote local businesses engaged in natural paints.
This clause ensures that our water and soil stay free of a toxic load due to the immersion of lead based and synthetic paints.
Recommendations:
The guidelines state that
‘Use of Single use plastic and thermocol materials shall not be permitted strictly and only eco-friendly materials.’ and
‘Only dried flower components, straw etc. for making ornaments of idols and natural resins of trees may be used as a shining material for making idols attractive.’
Recommendations:
To ensure effective implementation, it is important to start controls at the earliest possible stage. A production ban on any toxic, non-biodegradable decorations and colours that are specifically made for the production of Ganesh idols should be taken into consideration. The same applies for the ban of plastic, thermocol materials and any sort of non-biodegradable chemical dyes.
The use of “feathers of different birds” as decorations must not be permitted.
The document mentions the possibility of immersion in natural water bodies being “inevitable” in certain situations – this submission creates a loophole in the document and will allow for exceptions to be made. “Inevitable” situations need to be specifically outlined to reduce any space for ambiguity.
Recommendations:
The guidelines outlines several steps to govern the appropriate management of the immersions.
Reccommendations:
Recommendations:
The clause of unavoidable landfill dumping should be removed. It gives a levy for dumping activity attached to the festivities.
Clarify possible options for reuse and recycling of solid waste
Outline the format of the management plan expected from organising committees
The guidelines specify several steps for the state Pollution Control Boards to monitor and implement the effectiveness of the steps they have outlined:
The guidelines recommend testing of waters in the immersion tanks before they are allowed to flow into the natural water bodies. As the festival progresses over ten days the immersion happens on days 1,3,5 7, and 10 – each time the number of devotees increase in number. The time it takes to empty the tank and prepare it again for the next day will not allow a systematic monitoring of water quality.
As a large percentage of the artisanal community depends on the production and sale of these items, these guidelines are surely going to impact the livelihoods of those communities.
To mitigate the setback, it is important that the challenges faced by artisans in shifting from PoP to biodegradable materials is understood by the government. If assistance can be provided to the artisans, the implementation of the ban would be more effective.
The ban on Plaster of Paris idols, although being environmentally favourable, puts the livelihood of idol makers at risk. As the production of clay idols requires more skilled labour, many idol makers may not be able to continue working in the industry. The government must, therefore, step in and offer retraining programmes in cooperation with clay idol makers. In this way, PoP murtikars can find employment in the future, at the same time matching the increasing demand for clay idols.
The transition from Plaster of Paris to clay will be beneficial in the long term, as it will, being more labour-intensive, provide more job opportunities once a successful reskilling campaign has been conducted.
In order to minimise the newly mined amount of raw materials, sculptors must be incentivised to reuse clay from previous years. For this to happen, logistics and intermediate organisations, public or private, should be introduced in order to convert sludge into usable clay. Its use should be encouraged by setting the price below the one of the market for freshly harvested clay. Furthermore, in case of excess, the recycled clay shall also be made available for other industries.
Concerning the idol production, the goal shall remain to attempt the complete elimination of waste, at the same time recycling organic waste from other sectors. Experienced artists should be invited to explore new materials for murtis, such as cow dung, to create a market with sustainable alternatives to clay murtis.
Recommendations:
Sri Balgangadhar Tilak invited people to collectively celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi in order to assert India’s cultural independence during the British Raj. The act of reinterpreting a traditional ritual to carry a social message is also needed today. The festival thus needs to become a medium for the preservation of our natural resources.
The regulation of certain aspects of the festival, need to be accepted by religious groups, and promoted by religious and spiritual heads, as an acknowledgement of the need to keep our water bodies and environment pure.
Certain religious groups have objected to the shift from immersion in flowing waters, to a bucket immersion at home.
Other groups, have resisted the idea of recycling idols after the ritual is complete.
The fragility of biodegradable materials and the resulting damage in handling, has also invited the disapproval of some religious groups with a belief that this would result in disaster for the family worshipping a damaged idol, no matter how slight the damage.
Beliefs such as these will now need to be reviewed and reconsidered to be able to transform the festival, into an event that protects and celebrates our natural environment. It will be important that these changes in the practise of this festival are endorsed by religious groups and leaders in a spirit of positive change for the future.
Awareness should be created regarding ‘FAKE’ eco-friendly idols. The pointers to identify genuine from fake idols should be made available to the mass public published by MPCB or other statutory government bodies with the help of experts in the field.
eCoexist, Pune
Oikos, Pune
Ecological Society, Pune
