In compliance with the Bombay High Court directives, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set up 275 artificial ponds for the immersion of Ganesh idols this festival season — approximately 75 more than last year. The Bombay High Court had directed that Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols up to 6 feet in height should be immersed only in artificial ponds during Ganeshotsav and Navratri festivals.

Subsequently, the government of Maharashtra issued directives on August 1, requiring local bodies to create additional artificial ponds. According to these directives, all idols under 6 feet in height must be immersed in artificial lakes.

This year, the Government of Maharashtra has also declared the Ganesh festival as the official state festival, with a focus on promoting nature-friendly and eco-friendly practices on a large scale. To encourage the use of eco-friendly clay idols, the BMC has distributed more than 990 tonnes of free shadu (clay) soil to sculptors, along with 10,800 litres of natural paint on an experimental basis.