In the run-up to the Haridwar Maha Kumbh, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has been working tirelessly to prevent ecological damage and as a part of its efforts, the NMCG has diverted one of the biggest local sewage drains -the Kassawan nullah - to a sewage treatment plant.

The Maha Kumbh at Haridwar, too, is no different either in terms of the colossal health risk it poses or the ecological collateral damage it brings. Meanwhile bacterial coliform ranged between 3,300 and 39,000 Most Probable Number (MPN) per 100 ml while the permissible limit is 500 MNP per 100 ml for human bathing. The maximum permissible Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) for safe bathing is 3.0 milligrams (mg) per litre but it ranged between 3.4-8.5 mg per litre during the event. The event also caused a spike in river pollution making it unfit for bathing and other purposes. It took an international outcry triggered by media coverage and the eventual intervention of the Bombay High Court to clean up the Nashik Kumbh Mela mess and rescue the environment. The Nashik Kumbh Mela held in 2015 resulted in 25,000 tonnes of solid waste and faecal sludge that crept into the groundwater table from 33,000 hastily set-up mobile toilets without any effective waste disposal mechanism. While the Kumbh, in general, is celebrated four times over the course of 12 years, with the site of the observance rotating between four pilgrimage places on the four sacred rivers, namely, at Haridwar on the Ganga, at Ujjain on the Shipra, at Nashik on the Godavari and at Prayagraj at the confluence of the Ganga, the Jamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati. The Maha Kumbh is held at four locations - Nashik, Haridwar, Prayagraj and Ujjain - on a rotational basis after an interval of 12 years. Health risks aside, the Kumbh Mela is also not something that is known for environment friendliness. But nothing significant seems to have been done by the Government regarding it. With the Indian Railways running 25 special trains to ferry the pilgrims across the country, the Maha Kumbh is all set to become a РІР‚СљMaha COVID-19 super-spreader.РІР‚Сњ The situation looks hopeless unless either the event is immediately terminated or social distancing norms are strictly adhered to. In the last 24 hours, Haridwar has reported over 1,000 fresh Corona positive cases. The consequences of the ongoing Maha Kumbh upon public health have been devastating, to say the least. But these rather grim facts did not deter nearly 13.5 lakh devotees, including the members of the 13 Akharas from taking the holy dip or the Shahi Snan on April 13. Currently, at over two lakh new cases, India accounts for one in six of all new COVID infections globally. The grand event, with a 2,000-year-old history, commenced this year in January and will continue till the end of April.

The Kumbh Mela was first mentioned in the accounts of Hiuen Tsang, the famous Chinese traveller who visited India in the seventh century. The Govt is not ignorant of the health costs of these events during the ongoing second wave of the outbreak but populist measures are the top priority during elections

Maha kumbh in haridwar