The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has gathered more than 200,000 Ganapati idols donated by devotees in Nashik city during the Ganapati immersion ceremony on Anant Chaturdashi. Additionally, the NMC has also collected 177 tonnes of puja waste to prevent river pollution. The NMC encourages eco-friendly Ganapati immersion by urging devotees to donate idols to the NMC rather than immersing them in the Godavari river. The NMC has designated 80 locations in the city for idol immersion, including natural spots along the Godavari river and its tributaries, as well as artificial ponds in six divisions of the city. In comparison to last year, the NMC collected 5,000 more idols this year, totaling 79,000 idols in the Panchavati division and 45,000 in the Nashik Road division, with the remainder distributed among the Nashik East, Nashik West, Satpur, and Cidco divisions. Staff and volunteers were stationed at all immersion spots to collect idols and puja waste from devotees, resulting in a 177-tonne collection, an 18% increase from last year's collection of 150 tonnes.