Haridwar left with massive waste burden after record Kanwar Yatra

The Kanwar Yatra has ended, but Haridwar is facing a massive cleanup operation after a record number of pilgrims left behind plastic, discarded clothes, bottles and other waste across the city’s ghats, roads, parking areas and Kanwar routes.

Around 4.8 crore Kanwariyas collected Ganga water from Har-ki-Pauri this year, according to police estimates cited by The Times of India, surpassing the previous year's figure of 4.5 crore. The scale of the pilgrimage has also created a substantial waste-management challenge for civic authorities.

An estimated 7,000 metric tonnes (7 million kg) of garbage across ghats, mela grounds, parking areas and Kanwar routes had been moved to dumping grounds in Haridwar after the conclusion of the pilgrimage.

The waste included plastic sheets, polybags, disposable plates and cups, discarded clothing, bottles and Kanwar structures. In some parts of the city, garbage heaps were reported to have reached waist height.

The problem was particularly visible around Har ki Pauri, one of Haridwar's most prominent ghats. Visuals showed discarded clothes, plastic and other material scattered around the area after pilgrims began returning following Shivratri.

A particularly unhygienic situation was reported in changing-room facilities, where bottles containing urine were found discarded.

Videos showed sanitation workers removing the bottles with shovels, without gloves or masks, according to the reports. The condition prompted criticism from local residents.

Haridwar Municipal Commissioner Nandan Kumar said sanitation teams worked through the night following Shivratri to clean the ghats, parking areas and roads. The municipal corporation has also launched a special cleanliness drive that is scheduled to continue for another week.

The waste problem has further extended beyond Haridwar. Thousands of devotees travelled into the higher reaches of Uttarakhand to collect water from the Ganga during Sawan. In Uttarkashi, around 57,000 pilgrims were estimated to have visited Gangotri, according to the reports.

Gangotri presents a particular environmental concern because it is a designated plastic-free zone and lies within a sensitive Himalayan ecosystem. Discarded plastic, clothes and other waste left along the pilgrimage route have raised concerns about their impact on local flora, fauna and forest resources.

Following the conclusion of the yatra, the forest department conducted a special cleanliness drive in Gangotri and collected 57 sacks of waste for disposal.

The scale of the waste comes despite efforts by authorities to manage the unprecedented pilgrim movement. Police said this year's pilgrimage recorded around 4.8 crore Kanwariyas, compared with 4.5 crore last year.

According to TOI, authorities attributed relatively smoother traffic movement this year to advance planning, designated Kanwar routes and the newly operational Delhi-Dehradun Expressway.

Kanwariya traffic was kept off the expressway, while in Jwalapur, pilgrims were diverted from the highway towards the service road and then the Kanwar Canal.

In Kankhal, Dak Kanwar vehicles were stopped and parked at Bairagi Camp to reduce congestion inside the city. Police also restricted large DJ-equipped Kanwar vehicles from entering the district, citing concerns over noise pollution and disputes between groups.

With the pilgrimage now over, the immediate challenge for Haridwar has shifted from managing the movement of millions of devotees to clearing the accumulated waste and restoring public spaces and riverfront areas.

The cleanup also highlights the environmental pressure created by the enormous concentration of visitors at pilgrimage sites across Uttarakhand.