FAQ on idol immersion in India: What the law says and where it falls short

CPCB’s Revised Guidelines (2020): The main document is the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Revised Guidelines for Idol Immersion issued on 12 May 2020. They recommend:

1. Eco-friendly materials like natural clay and natural dyes

2. Prohibition of single-use plastic and thermocol

3. Pre-designated immersion zones with barricading and shallow depths

4. Artificial ponds where feasible

5. Post-immersion clean-ups with segregation of flowers (“nirmalya”) and other residuals.

Crucially, the CPCB text is framed as guidance to be operationalised by states/Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) under existing environmental laws. 

Legal hooks and penalties: Though CPCB’s 2020 guidelines are advisory, their implementation typically rides on statutory powers under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (EPA) and the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974. Section 15 of the EPA provides penal consequences (fines and/or imprisonment) for contravention of rules, orders or directions issued under the Act, which state boards and administrations invoke when embedding CPCB guidance into local orders. 

Noise controls:  Immersion processions are governed by the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000—with ambient limits by zone, a 10 pm–6 am ban on loudspeakers (subject to limited festival relaxations), and special protections around silence zones (100 m around hospitals, courts, and schools). States can notify up to 15 days of exemptions each year, but even then, they must enforce decibel ceilings and conditions. 

Single-use plastic and thermocol: Since 1 July 2022, India’s national ban on identified single-use plastics has been in force, accompanied by amendments that specifically restrict articles including polystyrene/expanded polystyrene—materials commonly found in idol decorations and pandals. States have folded these prohibitions into festival Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and procurement advisories. 

Central monitoring & studies: The CPCB has also surveyed water quality around immersions (e.g., Yamuna), reiterating that the 2010 and 2020 guidelines should guide state action and municipal logistics. 

Bottom line at the centre: The Union framework sets eco-design norms, waste and water safeguards, noise thresholds, and plastic bans. It expects states and cities to translate these into binding notifications, with local boards/police/municipalities empowered to enforce them.

CPCB 2020 guidelines do not impose a national ban on immersion in rivers/lakes outright; they recommend eco-friendly materials and prefer artificial ponds, with designated zones for natural water bodies where unavoidable. States can (and some do) ban PoP (Plaster of Paris) immersion in natural waters or direct all PoP to artificial ponds. 

Because CPCB’s guidance is advisory, much of the “teeth” comes from courts and National Green Tribunal (NGT) benches nudging or compelling states to notify, enforce, and report. Two patterns stand out:

1. PoP controversies. Multiple High Courts have pushed states to ban PoP idols (manufacture/sale/immersion) or, at minimum, divert them to artificial ponds. Karnataka’s High Court in August 2025 disposed of a petition after recording the state’s 2023 Government Order banning PoP and expecting full implementation; the orders emphasise the environmental harm and the legality of the state’s prohibition. 

2. NGT oversight and state compliance. In September 2025, the NGT questioned Tamil Nadu’s allowance of banned PoP idols at sea immersion points, pointedly asking why such idols reach gates at all if they’re proscribed—an example of courts demanding ex-ante control, not just post-event clean-ups. 

Courts also regularly affirm Noise Rules compliance during processions and invoke the EPA’s penalty clause for violations, leading to tighter district-level orders before major festivals.

While specifics vary, state frameworks typically include (a) notification/SOPs combining CPCB guidance with state-specific dos and don’ts; (b) certification or declarations that idols are PoP-free and painted with non-toxic colours; (c) temporary immersion ponds and barricaded ghats; (d) waste logistics for nirmalya and decorations; (e) traffic and noise management orders; (f) post-immersion clean-ups with boards/ULBs reporting to courts/tribunals.

Below are illustrative snapshots from some states: 

• Maharashtra: Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has issued detailed SOPs (2025) on immersion, with a notable design: household idols and PoP idols <6 ft must be immersed only in artificial ponds; larger idols may be considered for natural water bodies only if alternatives are unavailable, and then subject to strict directions (e.g., collection and reuse protocols for immersed idols). The state has also circulated implementation memos aligning with CPCB guidance and the SUP ban. Municipalities expand this on the ground by creating large networks of temporary tanks and collection points. 

• Karnataka: The state’s 2023 Government Order prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and immersion of PoP idols has been repeatedly affirmed by the High Court in 2025, with directions for strict enforcement. The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board’s festival circulars also address safety at waterbodies (life jackets, limits on coracle capacity), bans on DJs and high-decibel sound, and crowd/procession management rules. 

• Tamil Nadu: The NGT’s September 2025 remarks, noted earlier, reflect ongoing friction between policy on paper and practice at immersion points—especially along the coast. The Madras High Court has separately insisted that only idols certified as eco-friendly be immersed in natural water bodies, diverting uncertified/PoP idols to artificial ponds.

• West Bengal: West Bengal has a unique 2018 state rule—the West Bengal Prevention and Control of Water Pollution (Procedure for Immersion of Idol after Pujas) Rules, 2018—plus evolving SOPs tightening festival practices (e.g., bans on thermocol decorations, <100 micron plastic, mandatory bins for offerings, noise controls and scheduling). Pre-festival raids at artisan hubs (e.g., Kumartuli) to curb thermocol use continue alongside new SOPs in 2024–25 urging biodegradable materials and strict noise ceilings.

• Telangana (Hyderabad): The Telangana High Court’s 2021 order barred immersion of PoP idols in Hussainsagar and other water bodies, steering such idols to “baby ponds”; subsequent hearings in 2024 reiterated adherence. Despite these orders, media and civic accounts note periodic violations, keeping enforcement in the spotlight. Post-immersion, Hyderabad’s agencies mount large clean-ups around Hussainsagar—collecting thousands of tonnes of waste from idols and decorations—highlighting the stakes of upstream compliance. 

• Delhi: Delhi’s Pollution Control Committee has issued city-specific immersion directions, including bans on immersion in the Yamuna, environmental compensation for violations, and detailed do’s/don’ts for organisers (e.g., mandatory removal of flowers/decoratives before immersion and segregation on site). City authorities also link orders to single-use plastics restrictions and the Noise Rules (with localised enforcement powers updated in 2025). 

• Odisha: The Odisha SPCB’s festival notes synchronise state practice with CPCB’s 2020 guidance, explicitly detailing roles of local bodies, puja committees and the board during Durga Puja immersions—covering materials, immersion site design, and post-event clean-ups. 

• Assam: Assam PCB’s eco-friendly festival guidelines instruct natural-material idols and restrict immersion practices in line with CPCB’s framework—again illustrating state adoption of the central template. 

• Sikkim: Sikkim stands out for adopting a dedicated “Sikkim Idol Immersion Rules, 2019”, explicitly referencing the Water Act for penalties and laying out procedural requirements—an example of codifying immersion protocols into a state rule, rather than relying only on circulars. 

Advisory vs. mandatory. In June 2025, the Bombay High Court noted a CPCB expert committee’s clarification that the 2020 revised guidelines are “advisory in nature”, even as the Court lifted a manufacturing ban while asking the state to take policy calls on immersion. The practical effect is that state notifications become decisive: where a state bans PoP immersion in natural waters (or channels all PoP to artificial ponds), the prohibition is enforceable; where it doesn’t, ambiguities persist. 

• Noise relaxations vs. environmental rights. States may grant up to 15 festival days of relaxation from night-time loudspeaker bans; in 2025 some districts extended timings around immersion days. Courts, however, keep anchoring to ambient limits and silence-zone safeguards—meaning “relaxation” is not a license for unregulated DJs or sound boosters on narrow streets. Enforcement remains uneven. 

• Plastic/thermocol leakages. Despite a national single-use plastic ban, thermocol raids in West Bengal (2025) and similar clampdowns elsewhere show gaps in supply-chain control and late enforcement that burden artisans. Many states now require self-declarations or certificates that idols and decorations are SUP-free, but verification at scale is hard without pre-season audits. 

• Artificial pond capacity. Cities that build vast networks of temporary tanks (e.g., in Maharashtra/Delhi) reduce stress on rivers and lakes, but design and operations matter—shallow slopes, sludge removal, lined bases, and controlled drainage/evacuation post-immersion. CPCB recommends these features; still, queues, overflow, and ad hoc discharges do occur when volumes spike. 

• Ex-ante screening at gates. NGT’s 2025 admonition to Tamil Nadu—don’t let banned idols reach the water gate—captures an operational shift: from relying on post-immersion clean-ups to upstream checks (materials certification, gate-side screening, and diversion lanes to artificial ponds). 

Drawing from CPCB guidance, state SOPs, and court expectations, a compliant immersion plan typically includes:

• Materials & certification. Idols made with natural clay, no PoP, and non-toxic, non-lead paints—with certificate/undertaking verification at the workshop and again at the immersion gate. Decorations avoid single-use plastics and thermocol. 

• Immersion infrastructure. Adequate artificial ponds in catchment neighbourhoods; pre-identified corners of large waterbodies with barricades and shallow gradients only where artificial ponds are infeasible; separate lanes for eco-friendly vs. PoP idols to prevent mixing; on-site segregation of nirmalya and decoratives; sludge handling with safe evacuation into treatment/disposal channels. 

• Noise management. Pre-notified processions with time windows; no loudspeakers after 10 p.m. unless within a notified relaxation; sound limiters on amplifiers; strict policing of silence zones. DJs/sound boosters are often restricted or banned by district orders. 

• Policing & penalties. District administrations empower police/SDMs/municipal officers—and, increasingly, PCB engineers—to inspect, seize, prosecute, and levy environmental compensation where notified (e.g., Delhi’s DPCC orders for the Yamuna). 

• Post-immersion clean-up. Immediate mechanised skimming and debris removal; separate channels for organic offerings (composting/biogas) and inert waste (to authorised facilities); water-quality sampling pre-/post-immersion to inform next year’s plan. 

• Gate-level screening. NGT’s 2025 critique of Tamil Nadu lays bare a common failure: banned idols reaching the water’s edge. The fix is mundane but transformative—checkpoints upstream (workshops, transport chokepoints, and queue lanes), QR-coded certificates for materials, and separate diversion corridors for uncertified idols to artificial ponds. 

• Noise compliance in practice. Despite clear rules, recent immersion nights in parts of central/eastern India saw DJs beyond curfew and high-decibel processions, sometimes in the presence of officials—an enforcement credibility problem that courts continue to flag. 

• Waste load and lake health. Hyderabad’s 2025 clean-up—~1,000 tonnes around immersion corridors and >10,000 tonnes extracted from Hussainsagar—illustrates the sheer residual footprint when upstream controls are weak. Year-on-year increases also suggest that volumes and materials (including cloth and PoP remnants) still overwhelm municipal systems. 

• Mixed signals on PoP. Judicial and administrative positions vary: while Karnataka enforces a PoP ban backed by a 2023 GO and court reminders, Maharashtra navigates conditional allowances for large idols and a High Court observation that CPCB guidance is advisory—creating policy asymmetry that can confuse artisans and organisers operating across state lines. 

SUP and thermocol supply chains. Late-season raids (e.g., Kolkata’s Kumartuli in 2025) reduce illegal use but also create livelihood tensions. The durable fix is pre-season vendor audits, material substitution schemes (paper-mâché, cloth), and design mentorship so artisans can switch without losing aesthetics or strength.

Make ex-ante compliance auditable. States could codify certification (materials + paint) into QR-tagged permits issued at the point of idol registration, with random lab checks on paints. Gate marshals scan tags; uncertified idols are automatically diverted.

• Harmonise PoP policy language. A model state rule (MoEFCC/CPCB-drafted) would standardise definitions, thresholds (e.g., height-based conditions), and state options (from full bans to strict diversion), avoiding interpretive drift between benches and boards. This does not dilute state autonomy; it provides a clear menu aligned with central environmental aims. (Courts have already shown they’ll look for such clarity.) 

• Engineer artificial ponds as mini-systems. Treat temporary tanks as engineered units: liners, recirculation, silt traps, measured dosing for flocculation, and controlled off-take to STPs/ETPs—with an operations checklist drafted from CPCB’s technical guidance. 

• Decibel governance that’s predictable. If states use the 15-day festival relaxation, publish the calendar in advance, pair it with ambient caps and sound-limiter mandates, and track spot measurements publicly—so organisers know the boundaries and residents trust the process. 

• Plastic/thermocol substitution at source. Move from raids to pre-season MoUs with artisan guilds for material shifts, supported by small grants or bulk procurement of biodegradable alternatives. Tie guild compliance to priority access to prime immersion slots and municipal services.

• Public dashboards. Cities like Delhi/Hyderabad/Mumbai can publish live tallies: certified vs. uncertified idols, pond utilisation, waste recovered, and noise violations issued—turning immersion into a civic performance metric that improves year to year. 

The trajectory is clear: eco-friendly idols, plastic-free decor, artificial ponds, and strict noise regulation are becoming the new normal. While central guidance provides a framework, state-level codification and judicial vigilance determine outcomes. West Bengal, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra illustrate the spectrum—from legal codification (West Bengal) to absolute bans on river immersion (Delhi) to conditional SOPs (Maharashtra) to judicially mandated restrictions on sacred rivers (Uttar Pradesh). The test of policy now lies not in drafting new rules but in upstream enforcement, ensuring non-compliant idols never reach the water’s edge, and communities experience festivals that honour both faith and the environment.

The evolution of idol immersion policy in India captures a deeper question. Can environmental law keep pace with cultural practice? True compliance lies not just in stricter bans or cleaner ponds but in reshaping tradition itself. When communities begin to see rivers and lakes as sacred again—not dumping grounds—the law’s purpose will finally be fulfilled.