Nagpur has made remarkable strides in promoting eco-friendly Ganpati visarjan, reducing pollution in city lakes that were once severely affected during the festival. Thanks to persistent efforts by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and support from various NGOs, the city has successfully ensured safer, sustainable celebrations.
This year, NMC barricaded all city lakes and set up 419 artificial immersion tanks specifically for idols under 4 feet in height. For the 16th consecutive year, the Green Vigil Foundation supported NMC at Futala Lake throughout the 10-day festival to ensure eco-friendly immersion practices.
Surbhi Jaiswal, Team Lead at Green Vigil Foundation, noted:
“Over the past decade, citizens’ attitudes have changed significantly. Convincing devotees not to immerse idols in lakes was once very challenging. Today, awareness about lake conservation is high, and no idols have been immersed in natural lakes for the last four years. This year, however, there has been a slight increase in POP idols due to the lifting of the ban.”
Gold Rate
10 Oct 2025
The foundation’s volunteers—including Kaustav Chatterjee, Mehul Kosurkar, Bishnudeo Yadav, Shriya Jogey, Priya Yadav, Sheetal Choudhary, Tushar Deshmukh, Parth Jumde, Pinaki Banik, and Pratik Isampelliwar—ensured smooth management of the immersion process. Additional support came from the Shri Ramdeobaba Engineers for Environment Forum (REEF), led by Sakar Bhagwat, along with members Aryan Paradkar, Arisha Khan, Piyush Chhagani, Harsh Jora, Vivek Samarth, and Arya Shamka. Students from the Environmental Science Department, Kamla Nehru College, guided by Mrs. Neha Thakur (HOD), also participated actively.
By the 5th day of visarjan, a total of 927 idols had been immersed in the artificial tank at the Air Force side of Futala Lake, and 18 kalash of nirmalya were collected. Out of these idols, 123 were made of POP.
Shriya Jogey expressed her gratitude, saying:
“The collective efforts of citizens, volunteers, students, and civic authorities are turning eco-friendly Ganpati visarjan into a strong and lasting tradition for Nagpur.”
