8000 metric tonnes of waste cleared in Haridwar after Kanwar Yatra, Ganga pollution and chaos raise fresh concerns
8000 metric tonnes of waste cleared in Haridwar after Kanwar Yatra, Ganga pollution and chaos raise fresh concerns
HARIDWAR: With the hectic Kanwar Yatra season now over, sanitary authorities in Haridwar have cleared around 8000 metric tonnes of dirt, waste, plastic, rubbish and other leftover material from the city. The sheer volume of garbage unambiguously points to the toll the pilgrimage has taken on the otherwise pious Ganga.
The situation is not limited to Haridwar. Similar scenes of pollution have been reported from Uttarkashi, Gangotri, Devprayag and various ghats of Rishikesh, where thousands of tonnes of waste including plastic, clothes and discarded items have polluted town ships and the riverbanks. Pictures and videos from these locations show massive heaps of leftovers, torn clothes, ugly undergarments, plastic bottles and even urine-filled bottles strewn along the ghats, raising serious questions about how devotion is being expressed at the cost of the river’s health.
The Yatra also brought with it a breakdown in civic order. Several videos that went viral showed incidents of lathi charges on Kanwariyas, and in other clips a section of pilgrims were seen damaging government buses and cars with lathis, iron rods and hammers in full public view, seemingly without fear of law. While not all Kanwariyas were involved, a section of them contributed to the chaos, destruction of property and disturbance of the otherwise peaceful environment in Haridwar.
Now that the city has largely emptied, the photographs coming out show the scale of the mess left behind. Hundreds of tons of waste material dumped on roads, ghats and riverbanks reflect what many are calling a sick mindset of polluting the Ganga in the name of bhakti and aradhana.
Environmentalists and locals have once again demanded stricter waste management, accountability and awareness drives during such mass gatherings so that faith does not become the reason for irreversible damage to the Ganga.
_By Sunil Negi_
