The Mahakumbh fair which is organised once in 12 years at Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj is set to be held next year. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to ensure that there are adequate sanitation facilities at the site and has called for the area to be free of open defecation.
“To achieve this, the government plans to set up approximately 1.5 lakh toilets throughout the entire Kumbh area, including more than 52,000 community toilets, over 53,000 toilets in various tents, more than 14,000 toilets on parking and approach roads, and over 20,000 public urinals,” a press statement issued by the state government mentioned on October 25.
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The vast Kumbh area, spanning 4,000 hectares, will be divided into 25 sectors while 11,000 sanitation workers and volunteers to be deployed to maintain cleanliness. Furthermore, there will be over 25,000 dustbins, 120 tipper-hopper trucks, and 40 compactors.
The dustbins of 20 kilogrammes capacity will be placed within a distance of 25 meters from each. These dustbins will be cleaned three times daily
In order to maintain cleanliness within the Kumbh area, the government will deploy Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) toilet facilities. Among these, 15,000 FRP toilets with septic tanks and 10,000 FRP toilets with soak pits will be set up, primarily in community areas, camps, and arenas.
Additionally, approximately 20,000 FRP urinals will be set up in community areas while 22,000 pre-fabricated steel toilets with septic tanks and 17,000 pre-fabricated steel toilets with soak pits will be installed on the outskirts and parking zones of the fair area, as well as within government office camps. Furthermore, tent-style toilets will be established in various religious camps, totaling around 50,000 such facilities.
The primary focus will be on ensuring that 60 per cent of community toilets utilise septic tanks, while the remaining 40 per cent rely on soak pits. The government will also prioritise their maintenance. In addition to regular maintenance and cleaning of these facilities, sanitation workers will ensure cleanliness by regularly assessing each toilet’s condition through an application.
Furthermore, the state government will also develop a web-based application to monitor the toilets. Besides, a team of swachhagrahis (Sanitation Volunteers) will continuously monitor the sanitation facilities.
