Navi Mumbai: Dr Shri Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari Pratishthan has undertaken an initiative to collect nirmalya and convert it into compost at six Ganesh idol immersion sites in Navi Mumbai during Ganeshotsav. The initiative follows an appeal by Navi Mumbai Mayor Sujata Patil and NMMC Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde urging citizens to celebrate the festival in an eco-friendly manner.

Devotees are being encouraged to use Shadu clay idols and deposit nirmalya in kalash at immersion sites.

Members of the Pratishthan, Revdanda-Alibag, are collecting and segregating nirmalya into wet and dry waste from the 1.5-day immersion onwards. The six locations covered are Diwale Jetty, Belapur village lake, Nerul village lake, Chincholi Lake at Shiravane-Juinagar, Koparkhairane Dharan Lake in Sector 19 and Airoli Creek Lake.

Flower petals are separated from the wet nirmalya and used for composting. The material is deposited in compost pits near Koparkhairane Dharan Lake and Airoli Creek Lake. The compost produced will be used for tree plantation and maintaining greenery in the area.

During the immersion of 1.5-day Ganesh idols, 110 kg of nirmalya was collected at Diwale, 175 kg at Belapur, 230 kg at Nerul, 200 kg at Shiravane, 320 kg at Koparkhairane and 450 kg at Airoli, taking the total to 1,485 kg.

The initiative will continue at all six locations throughout the Ganesh immersion period. Implemented under the guidance of Maharashtra Bhushan Padma Shri Dr Shri Appasaheb Dharmadhikari and Dr Shri Sachin Dada Dharmadhikari, it aims to promote waste management and environmental conservation.