Healthy flows the Ganga again as 'three Gangas' merged into one

Like 2019, U.P. cabinet to meet at Mahakumbh

- K Sandeep Kumar

MAHAKUMBH NAGAR (PRAYAGRAJ): If you've seen glimpses/clips of a sea of humanity descending into the waters at the Sangam at previous Magh Melas, Kumbhs and Mahakumbhs, this time you will have to think of another epithet to describe the multitudes that take a bath on the bathing days of Mahakumbh-2025.

The state irrigation department has merged three distinct streams of the Ganga at the Sangam to create a single stream of the ancient river. The development will enhance the bathing experience for millions of pilgrims expected to attend Mahakumbh-2025.

Over the years, the Ganga had changed course, splitting into three streams between Shastri Bridge and Sangam Nose, impacting the quality of the river water, its depth and flow, thereby not only limiting the fair area but also disrupting arrangements being made for pilgrims, officials said.

Now, the river's original course has been restored, thanks to the irrigation department's effort lasting around two months and involving four dredging machines and 100 workers working each day. After a 1,500-m stretch between Shastri Bridge and Sangam Nose was dredged till a depth of 3m, the river is now flowing cohesively as a single stream, they added.

This unification of the streams allows for simultaneous bathing by a maximum number of devotees at one centralised location, eliminating the need for bathing ghats at multiple spots.