Karmactive Staff
Every year, millions of Hindu devotees carry clay idols of Goddess Durga to rivers, lakes, and oceans in a ritual of farewell. The idols are immersed with prayers and music, marking the end of Durga Puja and Navaratri celebrations. But behind this ancient tradition lies a growing environmental crisis that most celebrants never see: the water underneath those idols is turning toxic.
Durga Ashtami, the eighth day of Navaratri, falls on October 13, 2026. It is the most auspicious day of the five-day Durga Puja festival. On this day, devotees worship the weapons of Goddess Durga (Astra Puja) and observe fasts. The festival concludes four days later with Vijayadashami, when the idols are carried in processions and immersed in nearby water bodies. Tens of thousands of idols are immersed during the Durga Puja festival each year in Kolkata alone.
The problem is not the clay idols alone. It is what accompanies them into the water: synthetic paints containing lead, mercury, and cadmium; floral decorations wrapped in plastic; incense ash; and the plaster-of-Paris (POP) bases that many modern idols use instead of traditional clay. Together, these create a chemical cocktail that waterways struggle to absorb. See Environmental impact of plastics and Water pollution.
The Ganges, India’s most sacred river, already carries fecal coliform bacteria levels more than 100 times the government’s official limit near Varanasi. See Ganges and Pollution of the Ganges. The Ganga Action Plan, launched in 1985 to clean the river, has been widely considered a failure due to corruption, poor technical expertise, and lack of support from religious authorities. See Ganga Action Plan. Adding idol immersion pollutants to an already stressed river system makes recovery even harder.
Other rivers fare no better. The Yamuna, Godavari, and Cauvery all show elevated heavy metal levels during festival seasons. See Heavy metals in water and Water quality. Water near immersion sites shows elevated heavy metal levels that exceed safe limits. The impact is not limited to large rivers — smaller lakes and ponds near temple towns bear the brunt of concentrated immersion activity.
Community immersion tanks offer one practical alternative. Instead of carrying idols to natural water bodies, communities can immerse them in designated tanks where the water is collected and treated before release. See Water treatment. Several Indian cities, including Mumbai and Hyderabad, have started promoting this approach. The tanks prevent direct pollution of rivers and lakes while preserving the ritual’s spiritual significance.
Government regulations on idol materials exist but enforcement remains weak. Many states have regulated idol materials in public water bodies, yet the rules are rarely enforced. Vendors continue to sell POP idols because they are cheaper and easier to produce than clay alternatives. The result is a steady stream of non-biodegradable waste into India’s waterways every festival season. See Biodegradable and Plaster of Paris.
The sacred ritual of immersion is silently poisoning India’s waterways. The question is not whether to celebrate — it is how to celebrate without destroying the environment that the festival honors.
Priority PAA: How to celebrate Durga Puja without polluting water? Choose clay idols, use natural paints, immerse in community tanks, and support local enforcement of idol material bans.
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Related: Ganesh Visarjan 2026 Water Pollution Eco Friendly; Salty Drinking Water Hypertension Risk Coastal Ground
