Mahakumbh 2025: NGT curious about sudden disapperance of 1400,000 tonnes of Prayagraj's legacy waste

With a major bathing ritual scheduled for January 29 at the ongoing Mahakumbh in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj district, millions of devotees are expected to gather. The event calls for efficient management of sewage and waste. But is the management really in place?

During a hearing on waste management at the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on January 20, 2025, the bench not only criticised Prayagraj Municipal Corporation but also questioned as to where the decades-old garbage (legacy waste) that had been lying in Prayagraj for years has suddenly disappeared.

The NGT hearing on the MC Mehta case was presided over by chairperson Justice Prakash Srivastava.

During the hearing, the bench, dissatisfied with the responses from the Municipal Corporation, observed, "Six months ago, I personally saw piles of millions of tonnes of waste in Prayagraj, where has it suddenly gone?"

The bench then told the corporation's lawyer, "You claim to have disposed of 14 lakh tonnes of legacy waste in six months, if that's true, then tell us how this massive amount of waste was managed in such a short time? Why not apply this method to clean up the waste in Delhi, which has been there for years?"

Buck stops where?

During the hearing, the municipal lawyer stated that they would provide an affidavit in the next hearing to answer these questions.

The bench further remarked, "There are nearly 40 lakh permanent residents spread over 4,000 hectares of this waste-laden land. Waste is still being extracted from the banks of the Ganges daily—where are the records of that? The actual population of Prayagraj has not been provided, nor have you been able to explain how much waste is generated daily and where it goes after treatment?"

The Municipal Corporation stated that the legacy waste was treated and given to cement companies. The bench then asked, "Which cement companies were these, and what are their names?"

However, the corporation was unable to provide an answer.

The bench commented that the responses filed by the corporation regarding waste management were extremely vague.

The NGT has requested clarification on all these queries from the corporation at the next hearing.