Srinagar, Aug 30: The comprehensive sanitation and waste management system implemented during this year’s Amarnath Yatra has received national recognition, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting the arrangements and scientific waste management model in his “Mann Ki Baat” address.
The prime minister’s mention in the latest edition of his monthly radio address comes shortly after the conclusion of the annual yatra on August 28.
“It appreciably recognises the coordinated efforts undertaken to manage sanitation and waste across the challenging Himalayan terrain,” an official spokesperson said here.
The Directorate of Rural Sanitation, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj in Jammu and Kashmir implemented a comprehensive sanitation and waste management framework across the Baltal and Pahalgam axes, base camps and key yatra locations, the spokesperson said.
He said the system was designed to cater to the requirements of lakhs of pilgrims while ensuring that cleanliness and environmental protection remained central to the management of the pilgrimage.
As part of the extensive sanitation arrangements, more than 8,000 sanitation facilities and supporting infrastructure were deployed across the yatra ecosystem, the spokesperson said.
These included prefabricated sanitation structures, toilets, bathing facilities and pucca bases, providing pilgrims with clean, safe and dignified sanitation facilities during the pilgrimage, he added.
The infrastructure was backed by dedicated sanitation personnel deployed across the yatra routes, camps and high-footfall areas.
Their responsibilities extended beyond routine cleaning and included the continuous upkeep of sanitation facilities, cleanliness of public spaces, prevention of litter accumulation and maintenance of hygienic conditions along the pilgrimage routes, he said.
“A robust scientific solid waste management system was simultaneously operationalised to manage the substantial quantum of waste generated during the yatra,” the spokesperson said.
“The system ensured end-to-end waste management, covering segregation at source, collection, transportation, processing and scientific disposal. Also, waste generated at base camps and along the yatra routes was systematically channelled for appropriate processing,” he said.
Under the Zero Waste to Landfill approach, a total of 414.46 metric tonnes of waste was collected and processed during the pilgrimage, he said.
The intervention assumed particular significance given the fragile ecological character of the Himalayan terrain through which the yatra passes.
Integrating sanitation infrastructure with scientific waste management helped minimise the environmental footprint of the large-scale pilgrimage while maintaining essential public health and hygiene standards, he added.
He said the prime minister’s mention of the sanitation and waste management efforts in the latest edition of his monthly radio address provides national recognition to the concerted efforts undertaken by the administration and sanitation teams to establish a sustainable framework for managing the waste and sanitation during one of the country’s major annual pilgrimages.
“With over 8,000 sanitation facilities deployed and 414.46 MT of waste collected and processed, the yatra demonstrated how infrastructure, manpower, technology and behavioural change can work together to create a cleaner and more environmentally responsible pilgrimage experience,” Director General Rural Sanitation Anoo Malhotra said.
