Mumbai’s Navratri idol immersions are increasingly beginning to resemble Ganesh visarjans in terms of scale, with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ramping up arrangements across the city to manage the growing number of idols and ensure safe, environmentally responsible immersions.

The civic body has identified 34 natural water bodies and set up 158 artificial immersion ponds at 60 locations across Mumbai. At beaches, 117 steel plates have been installed to facilitate visarjan. The arrangements are aimed at ensuring a smooth immersion process while minimising the impact on the city’s natural water bodies.