Sanitation workers were left to bear the brunt of the city’s fervour for the immersion ceremonies. As idols were carried through the streets, plastic waste and other debris were left behind, piling up along the roadside.
Published Sep 02, 2025 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 02, 2025 | 8:00 AM
Around 1,200 idols were immersed in Pattinapakkam on Sunday.
Synopsis: Chennai’s beaches have been left buried in heaps of shattered idols, rotting flowers, plastic bags and food waste in the aftermath of this year’s Ganesh Chaturthi immersions. Despite the Madras High Court and National Green Tribunal’s calls for restraint and strict monitoring measures, sanitation workers in the city are struggling against mounting waste that has outpaced clean-up efforts.
In the aftermath of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, the sands of Chennai’s beaches have been buried beneath shattered idol parts, rotting flowers, food waste and plastic bags stretching across the shoreline.
As with every year, the days-long festivities have ended in a waste crisis, with the city’s long coast having been turned into a dumping ground after the idol immersion ceremonies.
Vinayagar idol immersion at Pattinapakkam beach in Chennai.
In 2023, nearly 190 tonnes of waste were cleared after the immersions; last year, it was 150 tonnes.
This year, ahead of the festival, the Madras High Court urged devotees to respect the city’s ecology. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) similarly directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to enforce eco-friendly rules. In turn, the Greater Chennai Police announced strict safety and monitoring measures.
Yet none of these have translated into meaningful change on the ground.
South First visited Pattinapakkam beach in the aftermath of the celebrations.
Beneath streetlight pillars along the shore, heaps of broken idols were scattered alongside cotton clothes, ritual flowers, leftover food, water bottles and plastic decorations, showing both the scale of the celebrations and the environmental toll.
A police constable stationed at the beach, said around 1,200 idols were immersed in Pattinapakkam on Sunday.
Crowds were drawn from across the city, making regulation a challenge despite the heavy police presence. Officers were tasked with managing traffic and the crowd, but even with constant monitoring, the sheer volume of devotees and materials made it difficult to control.
At the same time, sanitation workers were left to bear the brunt of the city’s fervour for the immersion ceremonies. Theirs was a relentless task along the procession route from Marina Beach to Pattinapakkam Beach, where the idols were immersed.
Sanitation workers were left to clean heaps of waste left behind after the celebrations.
As idols were carried through the streets, plastic waste and other debris were left behind, piling up along the roadside. Workers have been trying to clean continuously, working in the brief gaps between vehicles carrying the idols, but the waste has accumulated faster than it can be removed.
“No matter how quickly the workers clean, the debris keeps coming,” the constable told South First.
Earlier this week, the Madras High Court already drew a clear line on what devotion should mean.
“Devotion to God cannot be allowed to result in disturbance to mankind or destruction of nature. True worship lies in harmony, among communities through peace and order, and with creation through protection of the environment,” the court observed while hearing petitions on idol installations.
Justice B Pugalendhi reflected on how the festival has changed over time. Worship, once centred around small temples, has shifted to large, ornate idols in public spaces, which he said had become “a display of grandeur, competition and at times, social assertion.”
The court also flagged the use of non-environment-friendly idols and directed authorities to grant permissions only to applicants with a proven record of compliance, while doubtful or belated applications should be refused.
The call for restraint was echoed by the National Green Tribunal, which asked the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to move beyond general appeals and issue clear rules for the festival.
The tribunal directed the board to launch a public awareness campaign and publish dos and don’ts, along with penalties, well before the celebrations.
While stressing that religious sentiments must be respected, the NGT warned they “must not come at the cost of environmental integrity,” adding that “the festival itself is not being curbed; the pollution is.”
Among the biggest concerns were issues recurring every year: plaster of Paris (PoP) idols, synthetic paints and careless immersion practices that choke waterbodies.
Vinayaka idol in Chennai
The Central Pollution Control Board has banned the use of PoP idols since 2010 and strengthened these guidelines in a 2020 revision, yet enforcement has continued to be a challenge.
Though the TNPCB sealed several unauthorised manufacturing units, violations persisted. Clean-up drives last year alone removed nearly 150 tonnes of debris from beaches across Pattinapakkam, Kasimedu, Palavakkam and other areas.
This year again, the coastline has been littered with idol fragments and ritual waste, leaving civic workers and volunteers to shoulder the burden.
Ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi, the Greater Chennai Police put several measures in place to ensure safety and compliance.
The city permitted 1,500 idol installations, slightly fewer than last year due to metro rail works and road excavations, and offered alternative sites to organisers, while around 30 fresh requests were under review.
Each installation was to be monitored by two volunteers and secured by three police personnel working in shifts until immersion.
Organisers were asked to install CCTV covering the idols and surrounding areas, with footage preserved for one month, and to secure permissions from landowners, local bodies, and departments including the Fire Department and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO).
Strict rules were laid down: idol height capped at ten feet, installations away from hospitals, schools or other places of worship, and bans on slogans or banners inciting communal disharmony.
Immersions were permitted only on designated days, routes and vehicles, with fireworks prohibited at pandals, processions or immersion points.
Immersion points were designated at Srinivasapuram near Foreshore Estate, Palkalai Nagar in Palavakkam, Kasimedu Fishing Harbour and Carborundum near Thiruvottiyur.
A temporary pathway was set up from Srinivasapuram to the waterfront, with cranes ready to assist, and over 2,000 police personnel were deployed.
Senior officers consulted with Hindu organisations, while in the Avadi commissionerate, designated sites and immersion points were fixed at Ennore and Pulicat Lake.
Despite these extensive preparations and monitoring, the beaches have once again been left to bear the brunt of the celebrations.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
