Shivani Awale, Jaya Pawar and Umesh Kakde
Abstract
Indiaâs deep-rooted cultural and religious traditions include the widespread custom of idol immersion in natural water bodies. Yet, this practice often leads to grave environmental challenges such as heavy metal accumulation, deterioration of water quality, and disturbance of aquatic ecosystems. To counter these effects, the present study aims to assess the efficiency of artificial idol immersion ponds as a sustainable alternative to reduce the environmental damage caused by immersions in water bodies. Water samples from Girgaon Chowpatty, Mumbai were collected during preimmersion, immersion, and postimmersion phases and examined for several water quality parameters, including pH, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), total solids (TS), turbidity, hardness, dissolved oxygen (DO), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). The values of these parameters showed a marked rise during the immersion period, followed by a noticeable decline afterward.