Kumbh Mela: 'Eight million' bathers on first day of festival

[KRAIT]

8 million people in water? The water will become really dirty? no? Ganga is already very polluted. What steps does indian government take to deal with this situation?.....
Also, how big is this place? Handling 40 million people at one time? 100 million people in 55 days? Where do all these people stay? bath? toilet? eat? diseases? How authorities handle this situation?
LOL..what are you talking about? Probably Safa/Marva during visit to Mecca etc? Ask and I'll reply.

This is called management.
Government, NGOs etc. arrange everything.

Can any organization or a city organize this at this scale with limited resources ?

We just adjust somehow and if you have trouble people help you out. Every arrangement is made. Imagine the number of people travel through Railways and buses this time. Imagine the money involved.

 

[Yeti]

8 million people in water? The water will become really dirty? no? Ganga is already very polluted. What steps does indian government take to deal with this situation?.....


Also, how big is this place? Handling 40 million people at one time? 100 million people in 55 days? Where do all these people stay? bath? toilet? eat? diseases? How authorities handle this situation?




LOL..what are you talking about? Probably Safa/Marva during visit to Mecca etc? Ask and I'll reply.

Ganges is polluted more to do with the factories and textile companies that is the main cause


Israel helps India clean up the Ganges river | Environment | DW.DE | 02.08.2012



India plans £2bn clean-up of the Ganges - Telegraph



There are plans for a clean-up of the river for sure



Yes there is people coming from all over the world steps have been taken to accommodate them with tents, hotels etc I will find more info on it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-20935019


This will show you how it is being prepared

There is one 100-bed hospital and 12 smaller health centres ready to treat patients around-the-clock, and react in the event of major emergencies.


Sanitation officer
The larger hospital has several specialist doctors including paediatricians, gynaecologists, ophthalmologists and dentists.

The hospital also has X-ray, ultrasound and laboratory facilities as well as an intensive care unit.

Some 243 doctors, 257 paramedics and 600 other medical staff have been deployed, according to Dr Bhupendra Prasad Singh, joint director of the health department at the Kumbh Mela.

"We'll have 75 ambulances to ferry patients or deal with emergency situations. We've also deployed four river ambulances," he says.

The medical teams are prepared for the worst - with stocks of specialist equipment to deal with, for example, a stampede or bomb blast.

But even before the mela gets fully under way, the hospital has been getting around 1,500 patients a day since it opened on 15 December - mostly pilgrims or people from neighbouring areas taking advantage of the free medical treatment.

Sanitation
Suresh Dwivedi is the officer in charge of health and sanitation at the mela.

"We've built 35,000 single-seat toilets, 340 blocks of 10-seat toilets and 4,000 urinals in the mela grounds," he says.

"All the faecal matter from the toilets will go into the underground pits where it will start to decompose in a few days."

An army of 10,500 sweepers will tackle an estimated 40 to 50 tonnes of rubbish a day, rising to 100 to 150 tonnes on the big bathing days.

35.000 toilets are in place

 

[AUz]

Ganges is polluted more to do with the factories and textile companies that is the main cause


Israel helps India clean up the Ganges river | Environment | DW.DE | 02.08.2012



India plans £2bn clean-up of the Ganges - Telegraph



There are plans for a clean-up of the river for sure



Yes there is people coming from all over the world steps have been taken to accommodate them with tents, hotels etc I will find more info on it

BBC News - Kumbh Mela festival: Preparing for millions


This will show you how it is being prepared

There is one 100-bed hospital and 12 smaller health centres ready to treat patients around-the-clock, and react in the event of major emergencies.


Sanitation officer
The larger hospital has several specialist doctors including paediatricians, gynaecologists, ophthalmologists and dentists.

The hospital also has X-ray, ultrasound and laboratory facilities as well as an intensive care unit.

Some 243 doctors, 257 paramedics and 600 other medical staff have been deployed, according to Dr Bhupendra Prasad Singh, joint director of the health department at the Kumbh Mela.

"We'll have 75 ambulances to ferry patients or deal with emergency situations. We've also deployed four river ambulances," he says.

The medical teams are prepared for the worst - with stocks of specialist equipment to deal with, for example, a stampede or bomb blast.

But even before the mela gets fully under way, the hospital has been getting around 1,500 patients a day since it opened on 15 December - mostly pilgrims or people from neighbouring areas taking advantage of the free medical treatment.

Sanitation
Suresh Dwivedi is the officer in charge of health and sanitation at the mela.

"We've built 35,000 single-seat toilets, 340 blocks of 10-seat toilets and 4,000 urinals in the mela grounds," he says.

"All the faecal matter from the toilets will go into the underground pits where it will start to decompose in a few days."

An army of 10,500 sweepers will tackle an estimated 40 to 50 tonnes of rubbish a day, rising to 100 to 150 tonnes on the big bathing days.

Great but

35.000 toilets are in place

For over 10 million people, 35,000 toilets? Thats like 1 toilet for 30 men...

But still, do post some videos of this event etc....

How many foreigners take part in it? Any idea? Any demographic break up? (like this many Europeans came, this many Malaysians etc etc?) ...This would be helpful.

 

[KS]

This Maha Kumbh Mela is expected to generate about $2.2 billion in revenue.

 

[AUz]

This Maha Kumbh Mela is expected to generate about $2.2 billion in revenue.

Is it just me or the number seems too small for such big event?

Hajj creates $10 billion to $15 billion every year for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia!

 

[KRAIT]

Is it just me or the number seems too small for such big event?
Hajj creates $10 billion to $15 billion every year for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia!

To understand this, you have to consider the economic distribution of population that arrives. In Hajj people comes from all around the world and stays in 5 stars hotel to normal rooms in large number and those who comes by flight obviously will spend more money than a middle class Indian or a sadhu.

Kumbh Mela is mostly famous in lower class and middle class income group.

 

[KS]

Is it just me or the number seems too small for such big event?

Hajj creates $10 billion to $15 billion every year for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia!

Hajj means mostly foreigners coming, spending on food, hotel, travel, then some shopping in airports etc.

Here Govt provides the staying facilities free of cost or a minimal cost, the temples try to provide the annadhan, commutation is primarily bus or train own vehicles, no costly shopping as such -- just religious items, then ofcourse the comparitive low value of INR as compared to Saudi riyal..

 

[AUz]

To understand this, you have to consider the economic distribution of population that arrives. In Hajj people comes from all around the world and stays in 5 stars hotel to normal rooms in large number and those who comes by flight obviously will spend more money than a middle class Indian or a sadhu.

Kumbh Mela is mostly famous in lower class and middle class income group.

Yup..makes sense. Hajj is more of an "international" event .... while Kumbh Mela is more of an indian event...

If Zardari was your President, he would've ticketed this event too...lol..

Anyways , keep us updated with the pics...

 

[KS]

Sagarika interviews Naga Sadhus, the warrior ascetics..


Full marks to the American who became a Naga sadhu to call it Prayag - the ancient and correct name and not the distorted 'Allahabad'.

 

[KS]

Gotto say..when you see these Naga sadhus charging with ash smeared bodies and dreadlocks with swords or tridents, one second you feel the chill inside you..badass guys they are and dont give a single fcuk to anyone.

 

[KS]

KUMBH MELA facts: approx 52 sq km area, 1200 crore (approx $200 million) spent, 2 lac employees, 30000 police personals, more than 100 millions pilgrims expected

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

@haviZsultan Sir Hinduism contains many diffrent folds such as Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Śrauta being the main 3 but there are numerous others so it really depends who you ask.

For example my family are Vasihnav so we follow Lord Krishna and the religious sites associated with Krishna are of special importance to visit as pilgrimage such as Dwarka & Mathura.


Now if you ask a Saivite Hindu who follow Lord Shiva they have their own significant sites which they will go to such as the 12 Jyotirlinga's which are located in various locations in India.


There is also many others which follow Durga and Kali Mata I know one white lady in the west who tells me God is indeed a woman a Goddess so for her she considers the female Shakti as her inspiration.


In many ways Hindusim is not 1 religion or has a 1 set of teachings it really depends which school of thought you believe.

I guess the main set beliefs most Hindus share is the idea of Karma and Reincarnation though.

@Yeti U r fairly bit of wrong here.
In Hinduism, there are 2 holy places. Kashi and Rameshwaram. Have u heard about it? It isnt really matters if u r a shaivaite or vaishnavite. U are bound to travel to these places atleast once in their life time. My anchestors used to a yatra to Kashi and Rameswaram on foot.

It is a compulsory thing, that if u visit Kashi, u should visit Rameswaram too. Only then the voyage purpose is served and cleanse sins.

And clearly Kashi is a Shiva temple and Rameswaram is a Temple, where Shiva cleanse Ram of his sins for killing a brahman aka Ravana.

And scriptures say, we must visit them atleast once in our lifetime

@haviZsultan u can have a look here too

 

[Icewolf]

Gotto say..when you see these Naga sadhus charging with ash smeared bodies and dreadlocks with swords or tridents, one second you feel the chill inside you..badass guys they are and dont give a single fcuk to anyone.

I wouldnt feel too badass with all my junk hanging out

 

[KS]

@Yeti
And clearly Kashi is a Shiva temple and Rameswaram is a Ram Temple, where Shiva cleanse Ram of his sins for killing a brahman aka Ravana.

Saaar, Rameswaram is dedicated to Ramanathaswamy (Lord Shiva)...

I wouldnt feel too badass with all my junk hanging out

You come into this world with your junk hanging out..anyway people who have seen these guys would know the feeling.

 

[Rajaraja Chola]

Saaar, Rameswaram is dedicated to Ramanathaswamy (Lord Shiva)...





You come into this word with your junk hanging out..anyway people who have seen these guys would know the feeling.

Ooops. my bad... i went there when i was a kid, and mom used to tell these stories... Btw there is a Ram worshipping place too na?