In Nashik, the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) received over 200,000 Ganapati idols donated by devotees during Ganapati immersion on Anant Chaturdashi. Additionally, the NMC gathered 177 tonnes of puja waste. To prevent river pollution, the NMC has been promoting eco-friendly Ganapati immersion by urging devotees to donate idols instead of immersing them in the Godavari river. The NMC designated 80 locations in the city for idol immersion, including 27 natural spots along the Godavari river and its tributaries. Artificial ponds were also set up at 53 locations in six municipal division areas for devotees to use. Devotees would immerse the idols in the river or artificial ponds before donating them to the NMC. This year, NMC officials reported a 5,000 idol increase compared to the previous year. Staff and volunteers were deployed at all immersion spots to collect idols and puja waste. A total of 177 MT of puja waste was collected, marking an 18% increase from the previous year when 150 MT was collected. The majority of idols (79,000) were collected in the Panchavati division, followed by 45,000 idols from the Nashik Road division. The remaining idols were gathered from the Nashik East, Nashik West, Satpur, and Cidco divisions of the NMC.