Like every year, this year too, Ganeshotsav is being celebrated with great enthusiasm. Waldevi Dam, under the limits of Wadivarhe Police Station, is adjacent to Nashik city.
According to the resolution of Pimplad villagers and Gram Panchayat, for the last four years, immersion of idols of household and public Ganesh Mandals in rural areas like CIDCO, Ambad, Pathardi, Vilholi and other areas under Nashik Municipal Corporation limits has been banned in Waldevi Dam.
Every year, there is a significant increase in the number of incidents of Ganesh devotees dying due to drowning. Also, water pollution and noise pollution are taking place on a large scale.
Small and big Ganesh idols are left on the banks of the water, and when the water recedes, the remains of these idols are exposed, which leads to desecration of the idols. Idols immersed in water contaminate the water, which poses a health risk to the villagers.
Motor pumps are buried under the soil of Ganesh idols while pumping water for agriculture. The water from Ganesh immersion creates a large amount of dirt in the area. There is a traffic jam on the road, and this is a big exercise for the gram panchayat to plan.
Due to heavy rains this year, the water level in Waldevi Dam has increased significantly, and the dam is 100 per cent full. Since 2019, 11 people who came to the Waldevi Dam area for immersion and tourism have drowned in the Waldevi Dam.
Pimplad is a project-affected village, and the villagers here use the water from Waldevi Dam for drinking and agriculture. For these reasons, the villagers and the gram panchayat of Pimplad have opposed the immersion of Ganesh idols in Waldevi Dam and have banned the immersion of Ganesh idols in the dam.
Ganesh devotees from Nashik city and the villages surrounding Waldevi Dam have been banned from entering the Waldevi Dam for Ganesh immersion. Therefore, Pimplad Gram Panchayat, villagers and Wadivarhe Police Station have made a public appeal not to come here for Ganesh immersion.
