Overview
- City authorities in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune and other urban centres completed extended immersion operations over the weekend, with processions running into a second day in several places and some cities only clearing the last idols on Saturday or Sunday.
- Municipal bodies reported large immersion totals and heavy sanitation burdens, with Mumbai’s BMC giving an overall figure near 1.99 lakh idols and Hyderabad, GHMC and other corporations documenting thousands to more than 4,500 tonnes of festival waste cleared.
- Police and civic agencies deployed tens of thousands of staff, lifeguards, cranes, ambulances, drones and CCTV to manage crowds and traffic, and officials say they will hold detailed debriefs to refine crowd and safety plans for 2027.
- Reports flagged real human costs: local drownings and accidental deaths were reported and are under investigation, and police noted hazards such as paper litter on roads, drunk driving and obstructive procession practices that prolonged movement.
- Discrepancies in immersion counts, especially for Hyderabad where outlets and officials published differing totals, have prompted civic agencies to reconcile figures as they finish cleanup and prepare consolidated post‑event reports.