Haridwar faces massive garbage crisis after Kanwar Yatra, nearly 7,000 tonnes of waste removed

The annual Kanwar Yatra is over but Uttarakhand’s Haridwar now is in the face of a huge problem of garbage disposal after a huge amount of garbage was dumped by the millions of pilgrims during the procession.

Around 5 crore pilgrims are believed to have visited Haridwar in Sawan to fetch water from Ganga river, before taking their way back to their destinations after Shivratri.

Ghats Left Covered in Waste

The pictures taken at Haridwar showed debris of Hanuman’s clothes, plastic materials and sections of Kanwars spread throughout a few ghats after the huge pilgrimage. More than 100 ghats in Haridwar reported the situation including its most iconic ghats “Har Ki Pauri”.

Youth in the changing rooms were reported to be leaving water bottles while inside some bottles of urine was allegedly found. The videos shared from the area indicated that sanitary workers were shoveling the bottles, some of them without gloves or masks.

Locals Express Anger

The condition of the ghats has outraged local people. One local remarked that it’s unfortunate and noted the irony involved that people make a long trip to the Ganga but leave it and its environs strewn with trash.

The scenes have again caused concern relating to waste management and sanitation and the responsibility towards the environment during big religious functions.

Thousands of Tonnes of Garbage Removed

Around 7000 tonnes of garbage have already been shifted to garbage dumping locations in Haridwar after the Kanwar Yatra, the authorities have said. This huge volume of waste reportedly has resulted in “mountain piles of garbage at dump sites.

The incident has brought the task before the Haridwar administration to control the environmental pollution that is created during one of the biggest religious festivals in the country every year.