Shortage of artificial ponds in Mumbai to impact Ganesha Idol immersion, again?

Mumbai is getting ready for Ganesh Chaturthi and the immersion of Ganesha idols that is done across the city. However, the lack of land availability has meant that there will be fewer artificial ponds in the city than the target set by the BMC.

Seemingly, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will again fall short of its target of setting up over 200 artificial ponds in Mumbai for idol immersion. This was much less than BMC's target of 300 such ponds that it failed to meet in 2023, only being able to create 194.

Much like in 2023, the lack of space to set up these artificial ponds has emerged as the primary challenge. Apart from that, securing the permission from the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) to dig up the areas to set up temporary immersion ponds has also emerged as an obstacle.

Members of the Akhil Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mahasangh are of the opinion that the MHADA has reservations about the BMC not properly filling up the dug-up areas after the immersions. Hence, they tend to be less eager to give them a go-ahead.

For the number of artificial ponds that have already been set up, the BMC has made finding them a lot more convenient for the devotees. The list of artificial lakes in Mumbai has been updated on Google Maps and the devotees can also locate them by scanning the QR code at Ganeshotsav Pandals.