India’s Science Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh, has assured that there are “no signs of any disease outbreak” at the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, despite millions of devotees taking a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the lost Saraswati river. Dr. Singh attributed the successful management of public health to advancements in nuclear technology.
Over 500 million people have participated in the ritual, which exceeds the combined populations of the USA and Russia. Dr. Singh, who also serves as the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, noted, “More than 50 crore devotees have visited, yet there has been no sign of hygiene issues or epidemic threats.” He visited the Sangam on Monday and referred to the feat as a “Herculean task.”
This accomplishment is largely due to the use of innovative sewage treatment technologies developed by Indian institutions such as the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) in Mumbai and the Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam, both of which fall under the Department of Atomic Energy.
A unique sewage treatment system, the Hybrid Granular Sequencing Batch Reactors (hgSBR) technology, is being utilized at the Maha Kumbh. These plants treat contaminated water using microbes and are often called Fecal Sludge Treatment Plants. The technology, pioneered by Dr. Venkat Nancharaiah of DAE, has been implemented along the banks of the Ganga and can process up to 150,000 liters of sewage daily.
The system uses bio-beads, bacteria-laden granules, to effectively treat wastewater. This method is preferred over traditional activated sludge systems due to its superior settling, higher biomass retention, and efficient treatment properties. Additionally, the bio-beads approach reduces land use, infrastructure needs, and operational costs, offering up to 60% savings in land footprint and 30% in costs compared to conventional methods.
The new system also reduces the size of biological treatment tanks by 20% and addresses the gap between sewage generation and treatment capacity. This achievement is notable given the history of disease outbreaks at previous Kumbh Mela events due to poor sanitation practices, such as open defecation and polluted water.
To further ensure cleanliness, the Uttar Pradesh government has installed 1.5 lakh toilets at the mela site and is operating 11 permanent and three temporary sewage treatment plants to handle the large volume of waste. Clean drinking water is being supplied through over 200 automatic water dispensing machines to meet the needs of the pilgrims.
(With Inputs From NDTV)
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