Archive · 13 Aug 2026
5 Crore Pilgrims Leave 7,000 Tonnes Trash: Haridwar Mega Cleanup
Every year, many people in India go on a special journey called the Kanwar Yatra.
They walk to the holy Ganga river to fill bottles with water to take home.
This year, almost five crore people — about 50 million — visited the town of Haridwar.
When the journey ended after Shivratri, the town was left covered in rubbish.
Workers had to move more than 7,000 tonnes of garbage to special dumping grounds.
Some people even left bottles filled with urine in changing rooms near the river.
Many local people were sad because pilgrims are supposed to love and respect the sacred river.
Rubbish was also found in Gangotri, a mountain place where plastic is not allowed.
The forest department collected 57 bags of waste from Gangotri.
Now, the city has started a big cleanup week with more than 1,000 workers to make the holy places clean again.
Nearly five crore (about 50 million) pilgrims visited Haridwar during Sawan to collect holy Ganga water, with one report citing approximately 48 million as the highest on record.
At least 7,000 tonnes of garbage was transported to dumping grounds in Haridwar after the pilgrimage.
Urine-filled water bottles were found in changing rooms at Har Ki Pauri, where cleaners used shovels without gloves or masks.
An estimated 57,000 pilgrims left plastic, clothing, and other waste at Gangotri, a designated plastic-free Himalayan zone, where the forest department collected 57 sacks of waste.
A mega cleanliness drive from August 12-18 deployed over 1,000 sanitation personnel, 100 outsourced workers, and 80 vehicles, with support from the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad.
- Who
- Nearly five crore (about 50 million) Kanwar Yatra pilgrims, criticised by local residents; cleanup led by Municipal Commissioner Nandan Kumar, Chief Development Officer Lalit Narayan Mishra, and the forest department.
- What
- Pilgrims left mounds of trash — discarded clothing, plastic items, rotten flowers, Kanwar structures, and urine-filled bottles — at sacred Ganga sites after collecting holy water.
- When
- After Shivratri, at the conclusion of the annual Sawan Kanwar Yatra; a mega cleanliness drive ran from August 12-18.
- Where
- Haridwar (including Har Ki Pauri), Rishikesh, and Gangotri in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India.
- Why
- Devotees left waste at ecologically sensitive sacred sites, violating environmental rules and threatening the fragile Himalayan ecosystem, flora, and fauna.
- Pilgrims to Haridwar
- Nearly five crore (about 50 million); one report cites about 48 million
- Garbage moved to dumping grounds
- At least 7,000 tonnes
- Pilgrims to Gangotri
- Estimated 57,000
- Waste sacks collected in Gangotri
- 57
- Mega cleanliness drive
- August 12-18
- Cleanup workforce
- Over 1,000 sanitation personnel and 100 outsourced workers
- Garbage collection vehicles
- 80
- Municipal Commissioner
- Nandan Kumar
- Chief Development Officer
- Lalit Narayan Mishra
- Gangotri status
- Designated plastic-free zone
