Haridwar, July 23 -- The annual Kanwar Yatra, which witnessed a footfall of over 40 million Kanwariyas, will end on Wednesday on the occasion of Shravan Shivratri, with Haridwar administration now staring at a challenging task of cleaning the city and surrounding areas of thousands of tonnes of waste. The Haridwar district administration has deployed over 1,000 additional sanitation workers to tackle the massive post-pilgrimage challenge. From the revered Har-ki-Pauri Ghat to the 42-km stretch of the Kanwar route, the sacred city is littered with plastic waste, polythene bags, food leftovers, discarded bamboo Kanwars, dumped clothes, and other remnants of the mega pilgrimage. Key public spaces including the Ganga ghats, marketplaces, highways, parking areas, and walkways are now covered with visible heaps of garbage. According to data from the Kanwar Mela Control Room, more than 40 million Kanwariyas have visited Haridwar since July 11 to collect holy Ganga water to offer to Lord Shiva. The peak influx occurred in the final days leading up to Shravan Shivratri, when tens of thousands of devotees were still entering the city even as others began leaving. By Tuesday evening, the majority had departed with Ganga jal, but the trail of waste left behind poses a major logistical and environmental crisis. Officials from the Haridwar municipal corporation estimate that the total waste generated during the fortnight-long Mela could be between 30,000 and 35,000 metric tonnes. While cleaning operations are underway, authorities admit that it may take several days or even weeks to fully restore cleanliness across the city and pilgrimage routes. Haridwar municipal commissioner Nandan Kumar said that over 1,000 additional sanitation workers have been deployed from various sectors specifically for the clean-up effort during the Kanwar Mela. "Civic and sanitation workers are working round the clock, especially at Ganga ghats and across the Mela zone. As per chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's vision for a clean and green Kanwar fair, we have maintained ongoing cleanliness drives, but the full scale of the clean-up will only become clear after the yatra officially ends," Kumar said. He added that the exact amount of waste collected will be compiled and released by Wednesday afternoon, once the final group of Kanwariyas depart. Meanwhile, some pilgrims and locals said there were improvements in garbage collection compared to previous years. However, they also stressed the need for more public awareness and better access for waste disposal vehicles, especially in crowded zones. Teerth purohit Pradeep Jha said, "While thousands of Kanwariyas are present at any given moment, it becomes difficult for garbage trucks to enter the narrow and crowded ghat areas. Instead of solely relying on sanitation teams, we must educate pilgrims to avoid littering. Just as we revere the holy Ganga Jal, we must also respect the riverbanks." Arun Ohri, one of the locals, said that monsoon rains had helped wash away some of the garbage, but also warned that had it not been for the rain, the situation might have been worse. "Garbage is still very visible near toilets, parking areas, highways, and especially along the Kanwar route," he said. The environmentalists and civic experts have called for immediate and long-term interventions....