Mumbai collects 2,754 tonnes of idol immersion waste, sent to Mulund centre
Mumbai's civic body collected 2,754.85 metric tonnes of idol immersion debris over 12 days and moved it to a temporary storage centre in Mulund.
The Mumbai civic body ran a large-scale drive this year to dispose of immersed idols and the debris generated during Ganeshotsav in an environmentally safe manner. Over 12 days between September 16 and 27, 2026, a total of 2,754.85 metric tonnes of post-immersion material was collected from across Mumbai and transported to a designated temporary storage centre set up in Mulund. The civic body's solid waste management department made a total of 707 vehicle trips to carry this large quantity of material.
The entire exercise was carried out to comply with orders issued from time to time by the Bombay High Court and recommendations of an expert committee of the Central Pollution Control Board. Unlike traditional shadu clay, Plaster of Paris, or POP, does not dissolve on its own in water.
After immersion in water, POP idols become wet and crumbly, causing pieces of the idols to break off on their own while being collected and loaded and unloaded from vehicles. To safely remove this large quantity of accumulated debris from artificial ponds within the stipulated time, teams had to use machines. Clean and fully covered vehicles were used for transport. The weight of every trip was recorded on an official weighing scale, and daily progress was documented through photos and videos, said Kiran Dighavkar, Deputy Commissioner of the solid waste management department.
According to the data, the highest single-day collection was recorded on September 26, when 510.92 metric tonnes of debris was transported in 131 civic body vehicle trips. This was followed by 436.33 metric tonnes carried in 119 vehicle trips on September 20, and 404.08 metric tonnes in 108 trips on September 19. On the very first day of immersion, September 16, 366.03 metric tonnes of debris was disposed of in 99 trips.
Ward-wise, the K/West ward, covering Andheri West, Juhu and Versova, recorded the highest collection at 314.82 metric tonnes, using 115 vehicles. This was followed by the S ward, covering Bhandup and Kanjurmarg, with 253.58 metric tonnes in 101 vehicle trips, and the D ward, covering Grant Road and Malabar Hill, with 249.43 metric tonnes in 21 trips. In addition, 190.42 metric tonnes of post-immersion material was sent to the temporary centre from the G/North ward covering Dadar-Mahim, and 155.36 metric tonnes from the T ward covering Mulund.
