It seems Mumbai still has a long way to go to have only eco-friendly immersions of idols in Ganeshotsav. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) aimed to maximise immersions in man-made ponds to avert the pollution of natural water sources, but around 60 per cent of the idols taken for visarjan were immersed in the latter on Wednesday, the second day of the Ganesh festival.

The BMC had provided only 191 artificial ponds across the city despite aiming for over 300 ponds. Artificial ponds were to be used to help dispose of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols easily without damaging the environment. The BMC had set a target to shift immersions to artificial ponds from natural spots like lakes and sea beaches. But as per the information revealed by the BMC, only around 40 per cent idols including household and sarvjanik were immersed in artificial ponds on the second day of the festival.