Holy city Haridwar inundated with 30,000 metric tonne of trash after 12-day Kanwar yatra

The unprecedented gathering of kanwariyas at Haridwar this year, estimated to be over 4 crore, has left the holy town drowning in a sea of waste. As per a ToI reports, Haridwar (Gateway to Gods) will be inundated with nearly 30,000 metric tonnes (MT) of waste in over the 12-day-long Kanwar yatra.

Empty bottles, discarded clothes, plastic bags, and other debris were scattered throughout, with at least 50 per cent of the waste being plastic, Haridwar municipal commissioner Dayanand Saraswati told ToI. The total waste generated during the 12-day-long yatra is expected to reach around 27,810 MT, and open defecation along the Ganga, a common practice during the kanwar yatra, further exacerbated the pollution.

Last year's kanwar yatra season also generated about 30,000 MT of waste, a quantity that Haridwar typically produces in 4 to 5 months. This year's staggering amount of waste has put immense pressure on the town's infrastructure and resources. Open defecation along the Ganga is estimated to have contributed approximately 10,000 tonnes of fecal waste into the river.


"Considering that each kanwariya generates around 80 to 150 gm of fecal waste, and with millions of pilgrims resorting to open defecation, the volume of fecal waste finding its way into the Ganga easily surpasses 10,000 tonnes," ToI quoted Brijmohan Sharma from the NGO Society of Pollution and Environmental Conservation Scientists (SPECS) as saying;

Haridwar's sewage treatment plants were overwhelmed during the yatra, with the executive engineer of Jal Sansthan, Rakesh Chauhan, revealing that around 3.5 MLD (35 lakh litres) of human waste was treated at the plants during the event.

Dr. Vijay Verma, a long-time resident of Haridwar, expressed concern over the pollution, told ToI, "During the kanwar yatra, all directives from the courts and regulatory bodies aimed at safeguarding the environment seem to be disregarded. Urgent action is needed to address this pressing issue and protect our ecology."