Guwahati: With lakhs of devotees beginning to arrive for the Ambubachi Mahayog, civic authorities in Guwahati are preparing for a sharp rise in solid waste during the four-day religious congregation beginning June 22, with officials estimating nearly a one-fifth jump over the city’s usual daily load.
The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has projected about 110 tonnes of waste per day during the mela along the 12-km stretch from Sukreswar Ghat to Jalukbari, compared with the city’s normal daily waste generation of around 550 tonnes.
Nearly 2,000 sanitation workers will be deployed daily in three shifts, with round-the-clock cleaning planned at major congregation points, officials said. The waste spike is being linked to community feasts, continuous food distribution and heavy footfall around the Kamakhya Temple and adjoining areas. Temple authorities are expecting about eight lakh devotees this year.
Pilgrim movement has already picked up across the Nilachal Hills and surrounding localities, with temporary camps, roadside kitchens and community kitchens being set up ahead of the annual gathering. Officials said the biggest hurdle would be maintaining cleanliness amid uninterrupted food service.
“The challenge is that food distribution goes on almost continuously. If one group finishes by 2 pm and we clean the area by 3 pm, another group starts serving food immediately after that,” said Deepak Talukdar, executive engineer of GMC public works division, Bharalumukh.
To manage operations, the GMC has divided the stretch from Nursery Point to Bhubaneshwari Temple into seven sectors, assigning dedicated sanitation teams, supervisors, engineers and waste collection vehicles to each. Waste will be collected in auto tippers and moved to a temporary storage point near the Kamakhya Temple control room.
A small Bobcat machine will load the waste into five-cubic-metre dumpers, after which it will be transported to the Boragaon dumping ground. Officials said the temporary storage facility near the control room can hold only about four dumper loads at a time, requiring frequent clearance. An additional holding point has been created near Bhubaneshwari Temple to handle overflow.
GMC sanitary inspector Deepjyoti Talukdar said 22 dumpers will be deployed in shifts to keep evacuation continuous.
“All the waste collected in each sector will be accumulated in the auto tippers and transported to the waste stocking area near the Kamakhya mandir control room. A small Bobcat will put the garbage into dumpers with a capacity of five cubic metres and from there it will be transported to the Boragaon dumping ground,” the sanitary inspector said.
He said that apart from the permanent stocking point near the Kamakhya Temple, which can hold only four dumpers’ worth of waste at a time, a temporary stocking area has been created near the Bhubaneshwari Temple to deal with overflow.
For real-time monitoring, control rooms have been set up at key locations, including Bhoothnath GMC office, Kamakhya hilltop, Kamakhya Railway Station, Naharbari and Pandu Port, officials said.
Authorities also flagged monsoon rain as a potential complication, warning of drain blockages from plastic waste and food leftovers. Teams will be stationed near drainage points to prevent clogging during rainfall.
After the mela ends, the GMC will carry out intensive sanitation drives across the Nilachal Hills area, using bleaching powder, phenyl and fogging machines to clear waste residue, control odour and prevent pest infestation.
