Glitzy Ganesh idol immersion leaves chaos behind

Community guards immersed a Ganesha idol at the Naval Coastal Battery in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. | Photo credit: V. RAJU

The city’s Vinayaka Chavithi festivities culminated in a mix of color and mayhem over the weekend as hundreds of devotees carried the idols to the shore for immersion while cleanup crews dealt with the aftermath till Sunday morning.

The night parades featured scenes of mythological figures, folk dance groups and drummers that drew large crowds to the streets leading to RK Beach and other immersion sites. Families, many with children in tow, gathered on the shore to say goodbye to their idols to chants and applause, underscoring the festival’s continued influence on the city’s public life.

Immersion points

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has identified immersion sites across the city, including Sagar Nagar, Jodugulapalem, Lumbini Park, Bheemili Beach, Gosthani River near Tagarapuvalasa Flyover, Mangamaripeta Beach, Annavaram Beach, IT SEZ Beach, Yarada Beach and Apping Yarada Beach. Officials ordered barricades, lighting, lifeguards, boats, cranes, drinking water and medical teams to be in place at each location, with designated routes clear for ambulances and firefighters.

Devotees have also been asked not to use fresh water for immersion, given the water stress in the city, and to limit immersion of idols to designated spots on the beach.

However, it seems that this recommendation was only partially heeded. On Sunday morning, several stretches of coastline, including Pedda Jalaripeta Beach, not all official immersion sites, were strewn with idol frames, flowers, plastic bags and other puja debris, prompting sanitation workers to begin extensive clean-up work soon after sunrise. Discarded straw and bamboo frames and the remains of larger community idols lay abandoned on the sand alongside piles of flowers, banana leaves and plastic waste.

GVMC workers dispose of puja material, including plastic waste, at the Naval Coastal Battery in Visakhapatnam on Sunday after the immersion of a Ganesha idol. | Photo credit: V. RAJU

Harmful marine life

Environmentalists said the scale of the waste points to a larger, recurring problem. CV Naidu, head of the department of meteorology and oceanography at Andhra University, said dumping of plastic and plaster idols into the sea harms marine life as fish ingest the plastics, which could eventually enter the human food chain as microplastics. “Plastic bags, water bottles and PoP idols should either be banned or restricted in their use. Both the government and the public have equal responsibility to protect the environment. Only clay Ganesha idols should be used,” he said.

As sanitation crews worked throughout the morning to restore the beaches, it was once again hard to miss the contrast between the previous night’s celebrations and the visible costs it left behind.

Published – 20 Sep 2026 23:40 IST