Sanitation Gets Top Priority In Kumbh 2019, Authorities Install A Record-Breaking Number Of 1.22 Lakh Toilets

New Delhi: To live up to the ‘Swachh Kumbh, Surakshit Kumbh’ (Clean Kumbh, Secure Kumbh), the theme of Kumbh Mela 2019 in Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh authorities have installed a record-breaking number of over 1.2 lakh (1, 22,500) eco-friendly toilet facilities. This huge step has been taken for the convenience of lakhs of pilgrims and tourists who are expected to be part of one India’s biggest festivals. In the previous Kumbh, inadequate number of toilets led to many instances of open defecation.

Also Read: Swachh Kumbh: Uttar Pradesh Government Aims To Set An Example Of Cleanliness At Kumbh Mela

Talking about the same, Additional Mela Adhikari DK Tringunayat said,

This time, one of the main aims of Kumbh mela is to ensure and promote proper sanitation, we have seen in past how lack of toilets in Kumbh have resulted in cases of open defecation. With such huge numbers of toilets in place, we are sure, in Kumbh 2019, there will be no cases of open defecation. Not just toilets, special emphasis is given this time on how we will be managing the mammoth amount of waste, therefore we have added eco-friendly toilets that will successfully manage the feacal waste. The 32 nullahs (drains) opening in the Ganga have been sealed and three Sewer Treatment Plants (STPs) have been installed and upgradation of seven STPs have been done.

Another official from Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (Mela Administration) added,

Kumbh is one of the largest religious and sacred events in the country. It attracts lakhs of devotees every single year, if these devotees will not get facilities, they will defecate in the river or nearby areas, without realising that with prayers, they are polluting the mighty river. The idea to have such a record-breaking number of toilets at Kumbh 2019 was to avoid any such events.

On Thursday, when Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister visited Prayagraj he promised that the event will be both divine and grand, he added,

This time, Kumbh will make history by being titled as India’s cleanest Kumbh Mela, the theme ‘Swachh Kumbh, Surakshit Kumbh’ is appropriate enough, to send a swachh message to the world.

Also Read: Hope Sanitation Will Be Maintained Along With Reverence At Kumbh Mela In January: PM Modi On Mann Ki Baat

Along with the toilets, the state government has also deployed 1,500 Swachhagrahis (Cleanliness Volunteers) to monitor all the public facilities and accommodations, so that cleanliness is maintained throughout. The mela has been provided with a total outlay of Rs 4,300 crore from the state government budget to ensure such proper facilities.

This year, the 55-day long Ardh Kumbh Mela will commence from January 15 in Prayagraj (Allahabad) of Uttar Pradesh and will end on March 4. It is the largest human congregation in the world, with over 130 million pilgrims expected to participate in the festival this year.

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.