Overview

• Fresh SOPs direct idols under six feet to artificial ponds, with taller idols permitted in natural waters between low and high tide lines marked by pilot buoys at Versova, Girgaon, Aksa, Juhu, Worli Jetty and Dadar Chowpatty.
• BMC has set up 275 artificial ponds, will retain immersion residue for at least 15 days, and will move collected Plaster of Paris to a Bhiwandi facility, supported by more than 500 staff along coastal zones.
• The civic body issued an advisory about stingrays and blue button jellyfish, urging protective footwear and lifeguard supervision, with 108 ambulances and stocked medical counters at immersion points.
• Processions have been barred on 12 railway overbridges flagged as unsafe or load-limited, with instructions to avoid halts and crowding on these structures during idol movements.
• To spur an eco-shift, BMC provided over 1,000 tonnes of clay and more than 1,000 litres of eco-friendly paint to idol makers, while in Navi Mumbai residents questioned reported artificial-pond usage and sought stricter monitoring.