Monday, 17 JULY 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Kanwadiyas this year generated about 28,000 metric tonnes of garbage during 12 days in Haridwar. The garbage mainly includes about 50 per cent of single-use plastic bags and bottles besides leftover food, discarded clothes and footwear among others items left behind during the Kanwad Yatra. Though the sanitation teams of the Municipal Corporation of Haridwar (MCH) were consistently working to dispose of the garbage throughout the Kanwad Yatra, eight teams of 1,200 sanitation workers worked day and night on the weekend just after the Yatra concluded on Saturday to dispose of the waste scattered in various locations of the city, especially near Ghats, said the municipal commissioner of Haridwar Dayanand Saraswati. He told The Pioneer that garbage collection service was also affected in some areas for a few days due to heavy pilgrim footfall that also led to the accumulation of garbage in some places but everything was cleared out by Sunday morning. “All teams efficiently worked day and night on Saturday and in the wee hours of Sunday to ensure all Ghats and spaces are clear of garbage. I myself returned home at 8 AM on Sunday after all the garbage was cleared. Maintaining sanitation during Kanwad Yatra is always challenging and garbage accumulation is almost 10 times that on normal days but our team worked diligently throughout the Yatra,” added the municipal commissioner. Meanwhile, the police also cleaned the scattered waste near Vishnu Ghat after Kanwad Yatra on Sunday.
