Ganesh idol immersion leaves Tirupati’s Vinayaka Sagar polluted

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A huge idol floats in Vinayaka Sagar after the immersion ceremony in Tirupati on Monday. | Photo Credit: K.V. POORNACHANDRA KUMAR

The colourful procession of Ganesh idols taken for immersion on Sunday (September 20, 2026) across the city brought the curtains down on Vinayaka Chaturthi festivities, but left Vinayaka Sagar, the city’s designated water body, polluted.

Several half-immersed idols were seen afloat on Monday (September 21) amid discarded garlands, wooden frames, and other decorative materials.

The festival was conducted in an organised manner, with the idols lined up to be immersed on the third, fifth and seventh day of Vinayaka Chaturthi, keeping in view factors like location, distance to the water body, size and material used in the idol etc.

While the first two phases of immersion witnessed clay idols, the third phase on Sunday saw the immersion of heavily-painted idols, mostly using Plaster of Paris as the medium.

Despite an awareness campaign against the use of PoP idols by the Tirupati Varasiddhi Vinayaka Festival Committee, an apolitical body formed 25 years ago as a coordinating agency between street corner pandal organisers and government agencies such as the municipal corporation, electricity department, and traffic department, several pandal organisers continued with the old practice.

“Some pandal organisers said that they had already ordered the idols and hence could not go for clay. But, they have assured to comply from the next year,” a member of the committee said.

Muncipal Corporation Commissioner M. Jayakrishna, who stayed at Vinayaka Sagar till late on Sunday evening, took note of the PoP idols and urged the organisers to opt for eco-friendly idols from next year.

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