BMC to Install Marker Buoys at 21 Mumbai Immersion Sites for Rs 2.22 Crore

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will install low-tide-line marker buoys at 21 natural idol immersion sites across Mumbai to enhance safety during Ganeshotsav and Navratrotsav. The project, which was previously tested on a pilot basis at Girgaum Chowpatty, will include mooring infrastructure and solar-powered lights to aid devotees and civic personnel.

The civic body is implementing the project in accordance with 2024 Bombay High Court directives and revised idol immersion guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board. Under these regulations, idol immersions must take place exclusively in non-eco-sensitive zones located between the low-tide and high-tide lines.

Mumbai has 43 designated coastal locations where idols are primarily immersed in the sea. In the first phase of the safety rollout, marine navigation buoys will be deployed at 21 of these 43 sites to clearly demarcate the low-tide boundary.

Litmus Marine Innovation Pvt. Ltd. has been awarded the contract to execute the installation and manage the system for three years. The total cost of installing and maintaining the marine buoys is estimated at Rs 2.22 crore.

Equipped with solar-powered lights, the buoys will remain visible during night-time immersion operations. They will be securely anchored to the seabed to withstand wave movements and avoid displacement. Civic officials stated that the buoys will serve as temporary installations, which will be removed following each immersion period and reinstalled for subsequent Ganeshotsav, Navratrotsav, and Maghi Ganeshotsav events.