Haridwar, Oct. 17 -- The staggering levels of waste left in the Ganga Canal by visitors- devotees and tourists alike, have been once again unveiled to the public eye, in the event of the Canal's annual closure, which lasts a fortnight and began on October 2. Heaps of plastic, leftover clothes, ritual offerings and other waste line the ghats and cover the canal bed. The 16 kilometre stretch of the canal from Brahmakund and the Har-ki-Pauri Ghats to Roorkee is among the worst affected. ""With less than three weeks for the canal closure, we are working round the clock to clean the canal of silt, garbage, and leftover items, while also carrying out maintenance, patch work, and sealing water seepage," said Anuj Bansal, sub-divisional irrigation officer, Dhanauri. JCBs and manual labour were engaged in clearing out silt, mud and waste, he added. The Ganga Sabha, responsible for the administration of Har-ki-Pauri, is also actively involved in cleaning and maintenance during the closure period, representatives of the Sabha said. Civil society and volunteer groups from IIT Roorkee, Gurukul Kangri University, Shantikunj Gayatri Teerth, Rotary Clubs, and other organisations have also joined the cleanliness effort , HT has learnt. Mahamandleshwar Swami Harichetnanand of Bada Udasin Akhada highlighted the need for public awareness: "Pilgrims, tourists, and traders must be sensitised not to litter the ghats or pollute the sacred Ganga. We regard Ganga as a mother, yet we knowingly or unknowingly pollute her waters. Civic representatives must enforce a robust road map to preserve the river." Social activist Anoop Nautiyal, founder of the Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation, backed a multi-faceted approach for sustained cleanliness. "Alternatives to plastic and polythene should be provided, garbage should be segregated regularly, ghats need cleaning twice daily, and CCTV monitoring should be used to identify those polluting the river," he said. During the closure, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh irrigation departments, along with various social, religious, educational, and cultural organisations, are coordinating clean-up operations across the canal and ghats. The Ganga Canal, constructed in the mid-1850s, covers an approximate length of 560 kilometres from Haridwar and serves multiple districts in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. While its closure affects water availability, it provides a rare opportunity to cleanse the riverbed of all affluents accumulated throughout the year....