The world’s largest religious event, the Maha Kumbh, will begin in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on January 13. The government estimates that the footfall in the 44-day long pilgrimage would be around 450 million.
Managing such a massive human gathering due to religious devotion is a formidable challenge, but an even greater challenge will be cleaning the river to accommodate such a large population.
The process to reduce the biological and chemical pollution in the Ganga river has already begun. However, there is concern among devotees about whether they will be able to take the holy dip in clean water during this grand event.
According to Rajeev Ranjan Mishra, the former Director-General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, a river that has improved water flow naturally tends to become much cleaner.
“However, for a river to remain clean and healthy, it’s essential to address chemical pollution, preserve biodiversity, and ensure the efficient operation of machinery that treats discharged water,” he said.
According to a government affidavit, around five million pilgrims, or ‘Kalpvasis’, will permanently reside in the mela area this time. Such a vast agglomeration of people is actually 20 times the population of Prayagraj.
During this grand event, there will be four main bathing days, each with a possible gathering of 50 million people.
This would mean that on a day when 50 million people are present, approximately 16.44 million litres of sewage will be generated. In other words, the sewage generated during the mela will be additional to the daily sewage of the city.
According to an official statement given by the Uttar Pradesh government to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), about 471.93 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage is generated in Prayagraj daily.
Until November, this sewage was not being managed properly, and about 128 MLD of untreated sewage was being directly discharged into the Ganga. However, as the Maha Kumbh approached, after NGT’s strict orders, the government has now promised to treat a significant portion of this sewage.
In the latest affidavit submitted by the Uttar Pradesh government to the NGT in December, it was stated that out of the total 471.92 MLD sewage, a large portion of 293 MLD flows into 81 drains connected to the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, while the remaining 178.31 MLD flows into the sewage network, which is connected to 10 sewage treatment plants (STPs) with a maximum capacity of 390 MLD.
A total of 37 of the 81 drains are already connected to the STPs, treating 216.17 MLD of sewage. The remaining 44 drains, which receive 77.42 MLD sewage, are yet to be treated, though a commitment has been made to address this issue.
The government has stated that the additional sewage generated during the Kumbh will increase by 10 per cent, meaning the 216.17 MLD sewage in the 81 drains will rise to 237 MLD, which will also be diverted to the STPs.
The 178.31 MLD already entering the STPs will increase by nine per cent during the Kumbh.
However, the total sewage from the network and drains will exceed the STPs’ capacity by 43 MLD, and it is uncertain how this 43 MLD will be treated.
As for the 44 drains that remain untapped, they account for 77.42 MLD of sewage. The government claims that 60.80 MLD of sewage from 22 drains will be treated on-site, while the remaining 15.23 MLD from 17 drains will soon be connected to STPs.
During the Kumbh, sewage from these 44 drains will increase by 10 per cent, totaling 85.16 MLD, and the government has not clarified how the treatment for the additional nine MLD will be handled.
The government claims that 87 per cent of the sewage will be treated at existing STPs, with 13 per cent treated on-site.
However, sewage management still remains a major challenge. Statistics suggest that if the government does not convert its promises into action, over 50 MLD of untreated sewage will flow into the Ganga daily, forcing devotees to take a dip in contaminated water.
Another crucial issue is that the river’s flow must be improved for it to clean itself. Without proper biological oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), and fecal coliform levels, the desired results will not be achieved.
During the Kumbh, more water is discharged from various barrages to increase the river’s water level. Even reserve water used for agriculture is being diverted. According to media reports, from December 15, the Tehri Dam started releasing 2,000 cusecs of water daily into the Ganga to increase its water level.
Additionally, since December 24 , 5,000 cusecs of water have been released from the Narora Barrage towards Prayagraj, and this increased water supply will continue until February 26.
Meanwhile, the Kanpur Barrage is releasing a significant amount of water into the Ganga. On December 19, 4,124 cusecs of water was released, while 5,105 cusecs was released on 18th December. On December 1, 13,865 cusecs of water was released.
Improved water flow reduces pollution levels in the river. Such a process begins months in advance to ensure the success of the mega event. However, this is only a short-term solution to the river’s pollution problem.