Kumbh Mela Tidy Up - 24th March 2025

The Kumbh Mela's just finished in Prayagraj. This huge festival in northern India's so special that it’s on the UNESCO list of important cultural events. 15,000 workers were needed in the cleanup.

Hindus come to this event from across the world. The rivers are powerful to them. When they enter the water, it washes problems away and brings spiritual freedom.

The full Kumbh Mela takes place every 12 years, which is the time Jupiter takes to travel around the sun. The festival had even more importance this year because of the arrangement of the planets. They're only in this position every 144 years.

That may be why there were three times more visitors than in the 2019 half Kumbh Mela. During the 45 day festival 660 million people took a dip in the rivers.

A city of 150,000 tents was built for these visitors across an area of 40 square kilometres. There were an incredible 150,000 toilets and 10,000 workers to keep everything clean.

When the event's over, everything must be removed. All the toilets have to be taken away and a massive area has to be cleaned. This is a challenge for organisers.

Also, there was 20,000 tonnes of rubbish. This included clothing and plastic which visitors threw away. It's important for the government to get rid of the rubbish. Prayagraj and the river have to stay clean.