‘MPCB sold 50,000 eco-friendly idols this Ganesha festival’

Rajiv Mittal, member secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, says increasing awareness about the harmful effects of the use of plaster of Paris to make Ganesha idols has resulted in more and more people choosing to opt for idols made of clay. In an interview to DNA, Mittal pointed out that many idol makers are beginning to use a new mix material that is becoming popular. 

What exactly is your concept of eco-friendly Ganesha?
The Ganesha festival is a big event in Maharashtra and is growing every year. Previously, most of the idols were of clay and painted with herbal colours. But nowadays the use of plaster of Paris (PoP) has increased, resulting in pollution on immersion. Clay idols dissolve in the waters in a few hours but those made from PoP take months. Moreover, the chemicals from which the colours are made also harm aquatic life. This is why we have been urging people to use idols made from clay.

How do you plan to increase this awareness?
We have been trying to spread this message in the past five years, using various means, like competitions. We have also been drawing people’s attention to the harmful effects of plastic and thermocol that is abundantly used for decoration. Our competitions will increase awareness about it.

What steps have you taken for enforcement of the law on pollution?
There are many laws with regard to preventing pollution. But during such festivals there are limitations to enforcing the law. In such a situation it is more appropriate to motivate people through messages, to adopt safe practices. Over the past few years, MPCB, the Maharashtra environment department has jointly organised campaigns against pollution, using the print media, televisioin, radio, mobile phones, even in cinema houses. And we’ve been getting a positive response from all sections, whether schoolchildren or senior citizens.

Tell us about the training camps MPCB has organised to encourage the use of clay for making idols.
We found that many idol makers prefer PoP instead of clay. We realised that the basic difference is that PoP requires less energy and less time as compared to clay. So while it takes an idol maker three days to make a two-foot idol of clay and it could take up to three days more to dry, a similar idol from PoP takes two days. Idols from PoP are also lighter than those of clay.

We had heard about Pramod Palav, sculptor and idol maker, who had worked out a new mix material to make idols, using extracts or juices of trees like Babhul, Umbar, Dink and paper pulp. So, we decided to propagate Palav’s formula and arranged a presentation. The response was encouraging.

Are eco-friendly idols available in the market?
Due to these efforts the demand for eco-friendly Ganesha idols is growing each year. Like Palav, today other idol makers are also using the new eco-friendly material. This year, with the help of idol makers and mainly the Ganesha Kala Kendra (Matunga), we arranged 45 distribution outlets across Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad and the rest of the state. This year we sold 50,000 eco-friendly idols in Mumbai.

Please describe the rules on noise pollution.
There are different regulations on noise pollution for different cities. First, there is a silent zone in a radius of 100 meters around hospitals, courts, educational institutions and religious places and no loudspeakers or voice amplifiers are allowed in this zone. Then there are noise level limits set for residential, commercial and industrial areas. In residential areas, the limit in the day (between 6am and 10pm) is 55 decibels (db) and in the night (between 10pm and 6am), it is 45 decibels. Exceeding these levels is punishable under The Environment Protection Act, 1986.