Priya Aditi
Approximately 30,000 tonnes of garbage built up in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar after a record 40 million Shiva devotees visited the holy city for the annual Kanwar Yatra to collect Ganga waters. Authorities were working overtime to remove the garbage. Ganga Ghats, markets, parking spaces, and roads were littered along a 42-kilometer stretch of Kanwar beginning at Har-ki-Pauri.
Authorities stated that they were attempting to remove the trash, but that it could take weeks to completely clean the sacred city. Dayanand Saraswati, municipal town commissioner, stated that refuse and waste removal began on Saturday. “The Ganga ghats, roads, bridges, parking lots, and a temporary bus stop are being cleaned around the clock. We’ve increased the number of employees for the time-sensitive cleaning to 600. Additionally, we have begun dispersing insecticides and fogging the mela area, as stated by Saraswati.
Normally, 200-300 tonnes of waste are generated daily in Haridwar, but during the Kanwar Yatra and other festivals, that number increases to 500-2000 tonnes.
Millions of devotees participate in the annual Kanwar Yatra to collect Ganga’s sacred waters from Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Gomukh. They carried the waters on their shoulders to local hiva temples as an offering.
A seven-day rainy spell during the Kanwar Yatra impeded waste collection and disposal, according to officials. The Haridwar Municipal Corporation has added 40 more refuse transporting vehicles, bringing the total to 140.
On Sunday, senior police superintendent Ajay Singh and hundreds of police personnel conducted a cleansing campaign at Vishnu Ghat in Haridwar.
Mahamandaleshwar Hari Chetnanand Maharaj of Udasin Akhada stated that a pilgrimage is not considered entirely successful if the sacred Ganga, ghats, or religious sites are polluted. “According to the Vedic scriptures, even staying at Har-ki-Pauri or in the vicinity of revered shrines is inappropriate because the sanctity of such sacred places is compromised. “Devotees should take care not to commit such an irreligious act.”
Ujjwal Pundit, an additional local priest, advocated sensitising and educating pilgrims and tourists in order to keep Ganga and Haridwar pure.
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Anoop Nautiyal, an activist, advocated for a multifaceted strategy to prevent over 40 million pilgrims from polluting the sacred river and religious site. If such a large quantity of trash is left at Ganga ghats, then local administration has failed. …during rainy periods, it is impossible to sort trash and refuse that has been left in the open. So ultimately it will end up in landfills or dumps. The annual Kanwar pilgrimage necessitates long-term planning…NGOs and waste management experts should also be enlisted.”
