7,000 tonnes of garbage: Haridwar readies for 'mega clean-up' after Kanwariyas depart

Experts have called for quick disposal of garbage as spectre of worsening pollution, disease looms over Haridwar, a popular pilgrimage for millions

The holy city of Haridwar is scrambling to dispose of over 7000 tonnes of garbage generated during the two-week ‘Kanwar Yatra’ when nearly 48 million pilgrims descended on it, the highest number on record.

Heaps of garbage comprising plastic, clothes, ‘Kanwars,’ and non-degradable polythene waste remain strewn across the city, municipal officials said on Wednesday.

Experts have called for quick disposal of the garbage as the spectre of worsening pollution and disease looms over Haridwar, a popular pilgrimage for millions through the year.

Heaps of garbage comprising plastic, clothes, ‘Kanwars,’ and non-degradable polythene waste remain strewn across the city, municipal officials said on Wednesday. The areas worst affected by the unregulated dumping of waste are the numerous ‘ghats’ on the Ganga river, markets where pilgrims stopped to rest and eat, access roads winding into the city from the national highways and the designated parking areas for vehicles that formed part of the processions.

“…approximately 7000 tonnes of garbage was generated during the two weeks of Kanwar yatra. It is being cleared since Tuesday evening, as Kanwariyas started leaving the city for their respective destinations after the Shravan Shivratri Ganga Aarti. Sanitation workers have been deployed in groups around Har-ki-Pauri and the Mela,” Nandan Kumar, municipal corporation town commissioner, said.

“Waste collection and disposal is also being carried out in city markets, lanes, roads and parking lots on a war footing,” Kumar added,

Officials said discarded clothes left behind by the Kanwariyas alone amounted to several metric tonnes and would be recycled.

Haridwar will need a “mega cleanliness” drive

The Haridwar district administration has launched a mega cleanliness drive from August 12 to 18 to restore cleanliness in the district to pre-Kanwar fair levels.

“Heaps of garbage and waste are lying at Ganga ghats, in the Kanwar Mela zone, along the Kanwar patri and throughout the pedestrian routes used by Kanwariyas to travel, rest and camp, as well as at vehicle parking areas,” Lalit Narayan Mishra, chief development officer, said.

Civic authorities have deployed over 1000 sanitation personnel and 100 outsourced workers for the drive

“While civic agencies are already involved in the clearance, it is vital that local residents, the saint community, religious organisations, educational institutions, volunteers and traders also participate,” Mishra said.

Mishra further said municipal corporations, local authorities including district and village panchayats were working round the clock on waste collection and disposal. The work is being monitored on site and online by senior officials to ensure time-bound clearance of waste, he said.

Sanitation worker deployment

Civic authorities have deployed over 1000 sanitation personnel and 100 outsourced workers for the drive, along with 80 garbage collection, transportation and disposal vehicles.

The city’s seer community has extended support to the district administration’s initiative to involve stakeholders and local residents in the post-Kanwar cleanliness drive.

The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, the apex body of recognised akhadas, has informed the district administration that monks and office-bearers of various akhadas would participate in the cleanliness drive.

“Kanwar pilgrimage is an ancient tradition and in recent years the number of Kanwariyas has crossed the four-crore mark, so waste generation is bound to increase manifold. We fully support the administration’s initiative to seek voluntary participation from individuals. By participating in this post-Kanwar cleanliness drive, people will also derive spiritual satisfaction as they will indirectly be helping clean Ganga and reduce pollution,” said Akhara Parishad president Mahant Ravindra Puri of Niranjani Akhada.

What environmentalists say

Environmentalists, however, said pollution levels in the Ganga could rise if the waste was not removed in time and rain washed it into the river.

“Such a large floating population of Kanwariyas certainly has a bearing on pollution levels in the Ganga. Bacterial content increases when garbage, sewage, plastic, polythene and human waste enter the river. The risk of microplastics being absorbed also remains a major concern. The use of plastic sheets, bottles and cans and the dumping of clothes and bamboo in the Ganga should either be discouraged or prohibited,” said Gagan Matta, assistant professor, department of environmental science, Gurukula Kangri University.

Environmentalists, however, said pollution levels in the Ganga could rise if the waste was not removed in time and rain washed it into the river.

The saint community also expressed concern over waste, plastic, polythene and used clothes being left at Ganga ghats.

“Kanwariyas, pilgrims, tourists and local people should be sensitised against littering and leaving waste, garbage, polythene bags and clothes at Ganga ghats. We regard Ganga as a deity and mother, but through such acts, knowingly or unknowingly, we pollute the sacred river,” said Mahamandaleshwar Swami Harichetnanand of Bada Udasin Akhada.

Ganga Sabha, which manages the affairs of Brahmakund Har-ki-Pauri, has started a cleanliness drive to ensure pilgrims do not face inconvenience while taking a dip in the Ganga river or during evening “Ganga Aarti” ritual.

“Through public address systems, we have been regularly urging kanwariyas and devotees to maintain cleanliness and ensure that they do not pollute the Ganga. Ganga Sabha ensures that garbage is collected and cleared by civic agencies in time. Our volunteers also clear garbage at Har-ki-Pauri, ensuring that the ghat is clean before the evening Ganga Aarti so devotees can sit on the steps,” said Ganga Sabha teerth purohit Ujjwal Pundit.