Millions Gather at Ganges, Leave 7,000 Tonnes of Garbage Behind

The annual Kanwar Yatra pilgrimage in India’s Uttarakhand has ended, leaving behind a major environmental challenge in Haridwar. Reports said around 48 million devotees visited the city during the holy month of Shravan to collect Ganges water ahead of Shravan Shivaratri. After the pilgrimage, large amounts of discarded clothing, plastic bottles, footwear and Kanwar structures were found across ghats, roads and parking areas. Authorities estimate that nearly 7,000 tonnes of waste accumulated in Haridwar. Images from the famous Har Ki Pauri ghat showed piles of garbage, while reports said bottles filled with urine were discovered in women’s changing rooms. The Haridwar Municipal Corporation and district administration have launched a special clean-up drive. Municipal Commissioner Mr. Nandan Kumar said sanitation workers spent the entire night after Shivaratri cleaning ghats, roads and parking areas. ‘Since Shivaratri ended yesterday, all our teams have worked through the night to clean the ghats, parking areas and roads,’Mr. Kumar said. The operation will continue until August 18, with around 1,000 additional workers and more than 80 vehicles deployed. Drones and smart bins are also being used to improve waste management. Similar concerns emerged in Gangotri, where thousands of pilgrims left plastic and other waste in the environmentally sensitive Himalayan region. Local residents and environmentalists have criticized the pollution, calling it a troubling contradiction to the pilgrimage’s spiritual purpose.