The Cleaning Drive at Mahakumbh Needs 1 Cr Cleaning Agents after Devotees Turn It Dirty

Mahakumbh 2025 has commenced after 144 years it is a one-of-a-kind event and people throughout the world have started to influx Mahakumbh. With the massive volume of footfalls, the accumulation of dirt and waste is a generic aspect. The UP government has decided to go ahead with the cleanliness drive to collect and destroy the waste. Ganga's pollution levels have reached alarming levels, and the bacterial formation rate in the water is quite high. Moreover, many people devotees are complaining of respiratory issues after they take their holy dip in the river bank.

Many health agencies across India conducted safety tests on the quality of water. The samples collected belonged to Triveni and Sangam ghat which was highly used during the Mahakumbh 2025. The test results are contradictory as some experts showed a high persistence of bacteria however, the others did not find many harmful bacteria in the water. Cleaning agencies have used close to 1 crore liters of cleaning agents and engaged resources from Bangalore that can oxidize the toilet seats for enhanced safety.

Since the beginning of the mela, the health authorities are constantly improving the environment around and till now they have deployed 75,000 liters of Phenyl and 3.5 lakh KG of bleaching powder that would keep the pests and bacteria out of reach. However, the number of devotees has also increased leading to immense pressure on the water bodies. As per the orders from CM Yogi Adityanath, multiple agencies have undertaken the role of cleaning and maintaining hygiene at the place of bathing.

Close to 650 metric tones of dry water have been collected so far by the dedicated teams and more than 350 wet waste collectors have been deployed in the river that are collecting the wet waste and disposing at the Baswar plant in Prayagraj which is a common incinerator to the city. A temporary sewage plant has been installed near Sangam Ghat apart from the three permanent treatment plant in the city. Medical officers and similar officials have also been designated to look at the sanitization efforts and to supervise any form of issues.

The sanitization workers are also being looked after and their safety and hygiene are also being prioritized. They are being given enough protective clothes, food, electricity, and clean and hygienic rooms which will allow them to ease their shifts and relax during the off times. This was done keeping in mind the experience where sanitization workers were not given accommodation.

The children of the sanitization workers are also given temporary schools and Anganwadi centers so that they do not compromise their education. There are many new developments this year such as the wages of the workers directly coming to the bank account of the workers eliminating any form of middlemen and they are also covered with insurance.