After the completion of the Kanwar Yatra, the Haridwar Municipal Corporation now faces the challenge of cleaning up the citySo far, 7,000 metric tons of waste has been collected.
Updated: August 13, 2026, 12:57 PM IST
Share Article
https://www.india.com/news/india/clothes-rotten-food-urine-in-bottles-7000-tonnes-of-garbage-found-in-haridwar-after-the-kanwar-yatra-8500492/
Clothes, rotten food, urine in bottles… 7,000 tonnes of garbage found in Haridwar after the Kanwar Yatra (X pic)
The Kanwar Yatra was celebrated with great enthusiasmEverywhere, chants of faith and praise for Bholenath were heardHowever, in some places, the Yatra also became noisyThe administration in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, was on constant alert due to the Kanwar YatraOfficials may have thought they would be able to breathe a sigh of relief once the Kanwar Yatra ended, but the opposite happenedNow, the entire Haridwar administration is engaged in a clean-up campaign, the reason being garbage.
7000 metric tons of garbage collected
According to a Hindustan Times report, the pilgrims returned with Ganga waterBut tons of garbage was scattered across the parking lots, camps, and even the Ganga ghats (where people bathe)Old clothes, shoes, polythene bags, food items, and torn bags were left behind on the Ganga ghatsWet clothes, rotten food, and a foul smell were everywhereFollowing this, Haridwar Municipal Corporation employees launched a clean-up drive and collected 7,000 metric tons of garbage from the Ganga ghats in 24 hoursMore than 1,000 employees spent the entire night removing the garbage from the Ganga ghats.
Disgusting behaviour from Kanwar Yatris.
7,000 metric tonnes of garbage, undergarments, bottles filled with Urine across Ganga ghat
pic.twitter.com/UFf29Cb9J2— Che_ಕೃಷ್ಣ❤️ (@ChekrishnaCk) August 13, 2026
4.8 crore pilgrims completed pilgrimage
Haridwar Municipal Commissioner Nandan Kumar said that the Kanwar Yatra used to be quiet and filled with devotionIn recent years, the journey has become quite popular and noisyPeople arrive in the city in trucks equipped with large speakersThis year, nearly 10 million devotees arrived in Haridwar in the last two days of the yatra alone, bringing the total number of pilgrims to 48 million.
Administration handles 250 tons of garbage
He said that while the Kanwar Yatra is now over, nearly 7,000 tons of garbage accumulated over two weeksDuring this pilgrimage, devotees from across North India come to the city to collect water from the Ganges and then carry it back to their villages without stoppingThe city administration, which typically handles about 250 tons of garbage, is now busy clearing piles of clothes, plastic bottles, and other waste.
He further said that the pilgrims left behind so much garbage that large machinery had to be deployed to collect itMore than 89 large trucks were loaded with the garbage and taken out of HaridwarSubhash Ghat, Nai Ghat, Alaknanda Ghat, and Vishnu Ghat have also been cleaned to 95 percent.
