Mahakumbh-2025: Healthy flows the Ganga again as ‘three Gangas’ merged into one

If you’ve seen glimpses/clips of a sea of humanity descending into the waters at the Sangam at previous Magh Melas, Kumbhs and Mahakumbhs, this time you will have to think of another epithet to describe the multitudes that take a bath on the bathing days of Mahakumbh-2025.

The state irrigation department has merged three distinct streams of the Ganga at the Sangam to create a single stream of the ancient river. The development will enhance the bathing experience for millions of pilgrims expected to attend Mahakumbh-2025.

Over the years, the Ganga had changed course, splitting into three streams between Shastri Bridge and Sangam Nose, impacting the quality of the river water, its depth and flow, thereby not only limiting the fair area but also disrupting arrangements being made for pilgrims, officials said.

Now, the river’s original course has been restored, thanks to the irrigation department’s effort lasting around two months and involving four dredging machines and 100 workers working each day. After a 1,500-m stretch between Shastri Bridge and Sangam Nose was dredged till a depth of 3m, the river is now flowing cohesively as a single stream, they added.

This unification of the streams allows for simultaneous bathing by a maximum number of devotees at one centralised location, eliminating the need for bathing ghats at multiple spots.

To turn the plan into reality, the expertise of a team from IIT-Guwahati was sought. Based on their survey report, four massive dredging machines were deployed to streamline and expand the flow of the Ganga in the Sangam area, said SK Singh, chief engineer of the irrigation department.

Initially, the current and high-water levels of the river posed significant challenges to the dredging machines. The dredgers were strategically positioned at different points near Shastri Bridge. Simultaneously, sand was needed to expand the fair area, he explained.

However, the powerful current repeatedly destabilised the four heavy dredgers, causing discharge pipes to bend and making it difficult to control the equipment. To counter this, the team used large anchors, pontoon bridges, and thick ropes secured to the river banks to stabilise the machines, Singh said.

Dredging operations were carried out on a war footing in three shifts. Despite setbacks such as a damaged spud (support pin) on one dredger and another being pushed ashore by the current, the team remained steadfast.

After two months of relentless effort, the three streams of the Ganga were successfully unified into a single flow. Approximately 22 hectares of additional space has been created. To level this expanded area, 5.5 lakh metric tonnes of sand gained through the dredging was used in levelling the banks and the ghats of the tent city, ensuring a well-prepared and accessible fairground for the upcoming Mahakumbh-2025, officials said.