In Nashik, the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) gathered more than 200,000 Ganapati idols contributed by devotees in the city during the Ganapati immersion on Anant Chaturdashi. Additionally, the NMC managed to gather 177 tonnes of puja waste. To prevent river pollution, the NMC has been promoting eco-friendly Ganapati immersions and urging devotees to donate idols to the NMC rather than immersing them in the Godavari river. The NMC designated 80 locations in the city for idol immersions, including 27 natural immersion spots along the Godavari river and its tributaries. They also set up artificial ponds at 53 locations within the six divisions of the municipal corporation to facilitate devotees in the immersion process. Devotees would first immerse the Ganapati idols in the river or artificial ponds and then donate them to the NMC. This year, the NMC reported an increase of 5,000 idols collected compared to last year. Staff and volunteers were stationed at all immersion spots to collect idols and puja waste, resulting in the collection of 177 tonnes of puja waste, representing an 18% increase from the previous year's total of 150 tonnes. Notably, the Panchavati division saw the highest collection of 79,000 idols, followed by 45,000 idols from the Nashik Road division, with the remainder gathered from the other four divisions - Nashik East, Nashik West, Satpur, and Cidco divisions of the NMC.