Post-Mahakumbh mega cleanup: 600 tons of waste collected daily, 1.5L toilets cleared so far
A significant 600 metric tonnes of waste is being collected daily and transported to the Baswar waste processing plant on the city’s outskirts.
Following the conclusion of the 45-day Mahakumbh-2025, a massive cleanup operation has begun across the sprawling 4,000-hectare mela grounds. The fair, which took shape over several months starting from October 15, 2024, is expected to take around 15 days to be completely dismantled.
As concerns over the environmental impact of Mahakumbh-2025 on the riverbanks of Prayagraj and its twin rivers remain under the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) scrutiny, thousands of sanitation workers, clad in fluorescent green jackets and armed with brooms, are working tirelessly from 6 am to 6 pm.
A significant 600 metric tonnes of waste is being collected daily and transported to the Baswar waste processing plant on the city’s outskirts. Additionally, 242 cesspool suction machines have already emptied all 1.5 lakh mobile toilets, with the sewage being sent to treatment plants.
According to reports from the Prayagraj Mela Authority (PMA), the cesspools of all 1.5 lakh portable toilets set up across 25 sectors of Mahakumbh Nagar were emptied within six days after the fair ended on February 26. This was carried out using a fleet of 244 cesspool suction tankers, including 94 tankers from PMA and 150 from private vendors.
Currently, 120 tippers and 40 compactors are operating in two eight-hour shifts to clear solid waste from the mela area within seven to ten days.
PMA officials stated that, as per the contract signed between PMA and NGT before the fair, the authority must submit a comprehensive waste disposal report within 15 days of the mela’s conclusion. This report will confirm that the entire mela grounds have been cleared of waste generated during the event.
According to Mela officer Vijay Kiran Anand, PMA’s three main priorities are: restoring the mela grounds to their original state within seven to ten days before Holi, clearing payments for all 550 permanent projects (including those within city limits), and ensuring a hassle-free bathing and religious experience for devotees visiting the Sangam.
Mahakumbh-2025 in Prayagraj generated approximately 240 million litres of greywater and 16 million litres of faecal sludge daily. The sewage was treated using a combination of traditional and modern methods, including 10 sewage treatment plants, sewage diversion from 37 drains, and the use of 37.75 lakh liner bags for waste disposal. The fairgrounds were equipped with 1.5 lakh toilets and urinals, along with over 10,000 garbage bins throughout the 45-day event.
