PRAYAGRAJ, March 5 -- Following the conclusion of the 45-day Mahakumbh-2025, a massive cleanup operation has begun across the sprawling 4,000-hectare mela grounds. The fair, which took shape over several months starting from October 15, 2024, is expected to take around 15 days to be completely dismantled.

As concerns over the environmental impact of Mahakumbh-2025 on the riverbanks of Prayagraj and its twin rivers remain under the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) scrutiny, thousands of sanitation workers, clad in fluorescent green jackets and armed with brooms, are working tirelessly from 6 am to 6 pm.

A significant 600 metric tonnes of waste is being collected daily and transported to the Baswar waste processing plant on the city's outs...