Ipsa Tripathy
Bhubaneswar: Last month, we asked whether faith and clean water could go together during Ganpati Visarjan. The question does not end with Ganesh Puja. In Odisha, the immersion season continues through autumn, bringing large processions, crowded riverbanks and thousands of idols to water bodies across the state.
Durga Puja bhasani has recently concluded in Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and towns across Odisha. In Dhenkanal, the 11-day Gajalaxmi Puja began on Kumar Purnima, October 25, with the goddess worshipped in 41 mandaps. The festival concludes on November 4 with the joint immersion procession known as Milit Bhasani. Kali Puja immersions in Cuttack follow soon after, with idols scheduled to be immersed on November 6 in an artificial pond at Devigada, beside the Kathajodi River.
For devotees, these processions mark the end of days spent in worship and celebration. But once the drums fall silent and the crowds return home, another story begins. What happens to the paint, plaster, decorations and other materials left behind when the idols enter the water?
Cuttack’s long night at Devigada
Few cities celebrate bhasani with the scale and enthusiasm of Cuttack. In 2025, the city hosted 160 community Durga Puja celebrations, while Bhubaneswar hosted 193. Many of Cuttack’s idols are brought to Devigada on the Kathajodi, where temporary immersion ponds are intended to keep the process away from the river’s main channel.
The arrangement reflects an effort to balance religious tradition with environmental protection. The Cuttack Municipal Corporation has dug temporary ponds on the Kathajodi riverbed and lined them with polythene to contain the immersion waste. In principle, this makes it easier to collect the remains instead of allowing them to disperse directly into the river.
In practice, the system faces challenges. When water levels are low, the ponds may need to be filled using pumps. When heavy rain raises water levels, the arrangements can become difficult to manage. In 2022, waterlogging disrupted planned immersion arrangements in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, and reports indicated that fewer than 70 of the 350 idols could be immersed in the artificial ponds as intended.
These difficulties show why temporary immersion facilities need careful planning. A pond is useful only if it can accommodate the idols, contain the waste and allow the remains to be collected safely afterwards. Without those steps, pollution can still reach the river.
Dhenkanal’s Gajalaxmi Puja: the same questions, a different river
Gajalaxmi Puja may receive less national attention than Durga Puja, but in Dhenkanal it is one of the year’s biggest celebrations. The 11-day festival brings together elaborate mandaps, markets, music and dance before culminating in the combined immersion procession. The administration also deploys police and regulates traffic to manage the crowds.
The environmental questions surrounding immersion are no less important here. Idols can be made from different materials and decorated with paints, glitter, plastic ornaments, thermocol and other accessories. What enters the water depends on how the idols are constructed and what is removed before immersion.
Dhenkanal also lies within a river landscape facing existing pollution pressures. Reports have identified a severely polluted stretch of the Brahmani River in the district. When a water body is already under pressure, additional waste deserves attention, even if the amount contributed by immersion is only one part of the wider pollution problem.
Odisha’s pollution control authorities have recognised immersion festivals as activities that require monitoring. Water quality has been assessed during festivals at locations including the Kathajodi in Cuttack and the Ramiala near Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal. Such monitoring can help determine whether water conditions change during the festival period and which locations require better waste management.
What actually enters the water?
A traditional clay idol made with natural materials can gradually break down after immersion. The problem is more complicated when the idol contains materials that do not readily return to the environment.
Plaster of Paris, commonly used to make lightweight idols, behaves differently from traditional clay. It does not simply dissolve into harmless material when placed in water. Synthetic paints may contain pigments and chemical compounds, while decorative plastics, glitter and thermocol can remain as persistent waste. Depending on their composition, some paints and ornaments may also introduce metals or other contaminants into the water.
The consequences depend on the materials used, the quantity immersed and the conditions of the receiving water body. Large amounts of solid waste can accumulate at immersion sites, while paint residues and other substances may affect water quality. Fragments can also settle in sediments or move downstream. It would be misleading to assume that every idol releases the same contaminants, but it is equally unwise to treat immersion waste as harmless simply because it is part of a religious celebration.
Studies of idol immersion in the Hooghly River in Kolkata have reported increases in certain metals in water or sediment following immersion events. These findings illustrate the potential for pollution, although the results from one river cannot automatically be applied to the Kathajodi, Brahmani or other Odisha water bodies. Local monitoring is needed to establish what is entering each river and in what quantities.
The concern extends beyond aquatic life. Rivers and connected water bodies support fisheries, agriculture and, in some locations, water supplies. Protecting their quality matters to communities living downstream, not only to the organisms that inhabit them.
The rules exist. The challenge is implementation.
India has guidelines for managing idol immersion, and Odisha has issued directions intended to encourage the use of natural materials and reduce pollution. These measures address the materials used to make idols, the management of immersion sites and the collection of waste after ceremonies.
The difficulty is ensuring that the rules are followed consistently. Plaster of Paris is often lighter, easier to mould and faster to dry than traditional clay. Synthetic decorations can also be cheaper or more readily available. Artisans who work under tight deadlines and limited budgets may find it difficult to switch materials without financial support.
Temporary ponds can reduce direct pollution only when they are properly designed and managed. They must be ready before the processions begin, have enough capacity for the expected number of idols and be followed by timely removal of debris. If leftover material is washed into the river during rain or rising water levels, the purpose of the arrangement is undermined.
Municipal bodies, pollution control authorities, artisans and puja committees all have a role to play. The most effective approach is one that makes compliance practical, rather than relying entirely on instructions issued shortly before immersion day.
Is immersion in a river a religious necessity?
This question requires sensitivity. For many devotees, bhasani is an essential part of the festival, marking the goddess’s departure and the completion of the worship. The procession, the music and the immersion itself carry deep cultural meaning.
But preserving the ritual does not necessarily mean ignoring the environmental consequences of every material used in it. Some religious leaders and organisers have supported alternatives that allow the ceremony to continue while reducing the amount of waste entering natural water bodies. The precise ritual requirements can vary, so any alternative should be developed in consultation with priests, artisans and the communities involved.
Artificial immersion ponds offer one option. Where they are properly lined, managed and cleaned, the remains can be collected rather than released directly into a river. Some organisers elsewhere have also experimented with washing clay idols in contained spaces and managing the resulting material separately. Such approaches need to be adapted to local practices and assessed for their practical effectiveness.
The goal is not to diminish devotion. It is to find ways for religious celebrations to continue without placing an avoidable burden on the rivers that sustain communities throughout the year.
Sending the goddess off without harming the river
Odisha’s festivals should not have to choose between cultural celebration and clean water. Artisans can be supported in using traditional clay and safer colours. Puja committees can remove plastic, cloth and other decorations before immersion. Municipalities can provide adequate ponds and ensure that collected waste is disposed of responsibly. Water quality monitoring results should also be made accessible to the public, allowing communities to understand the condition of their local rivers.
These measures may sound practical rather than dramatic, but that is precisely where meaningful change often begins. Better preparation, reliable facilities and cooperation between authorities and organisers can reduce the environmental cost without stripping the festivals of their character.
The goddess is welcomed with devotion, elaborate decorations and days of celebration. Her departure deserves the same care. When the processions end and the crowds disperse, the rivers remain. Keeping them clean is not separate from protecting Odisha’s living traditions; it is part of ensuring that those traditions can continue for generations to come.
