Amarnath yatra: 1,05,282 devotees paid obeisance at holy cave shrine in just 5 days

15 waste processing units, 600 workers deployed to ensure a garbage-free sustainable pilgrimage

Srinagar: More than 30,000 pilgrims paid obeisance at the Amarnath cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas on Wednesday, taking the total number of devotees who have had 'darshan' of the naturally formed ice lingam so far to over one lakh, officials said.
The Amarnath Yatra began on Saturday from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and the 14-km shorter but steeper Baltal route in Ganderbal.
"A total of 30,586 pilgrims performed the yatra on Wednesday and had darshan of Baba Bholenath on the fifth day of the annual yatra," an official said.
With this, the number of pilgrims who have visited the 3,880-metre-high cave shrine has now reached 1,05,282, according to the officials.
They said 21,893 male pilgrims, 5,858 female pilgrims, 394 sadhus and one sadhvi were among those who paid obeisance at the cave shrine. As many as 1,991 security personnel, four transgender persons and 445 children also performed the pilgrimage.
Deaths of two devotees -- a sevadar from Haryana and a pilgrim from Jharkhand -- have been reported during this year's yatra so far. Both of them suffered a cardiac arrest on the Baltal route, the officials said.
The 52-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 19.
More than 4.5 lakh pilgrims paid obeisance at the cave shrine last year.
Moreover, fifteen waste processing facilities have been set up and over 600 workers deployed along the two routes of the Amarnath yatra in the south Kashmir Himalayas to achieve "zero-landfill" by ensuring a garbage-free sustainable pilgrimage, a senior government official said.
More than one lakh pilgrims have visited the cave shrine located at a height of 3,880 metre -- using the 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route in Anantnag and 14-km shorter but steep Baltal route in Ganderbal -- since the 52-day yatra began on June 29.
The official said the 15 waste processing facilities, eight along the Baltal route starting from Neelgrath and seven along the Pahalgam route starting from Nunwan till Panchtarni, have been set up by the Directorate of Rural Sanitation and departments of rural development and panchayati raj.
Wet waste is processed using conventional composting methods and dry waste through segregation into recyclable or non-recyclable waste.
More than 600 workers and nearly 25 management supervisory staff have been deployed on both the routes to handle day-to-day waste collection, its transportation and processing and scientific disposal, the official said.
He said eight vehicles, five for the Baltal route and three for the Pahalgam route, have been deployed for collection and transportation of waste to locations at the base camps.
The official said a "significant" quantity of wet and dry waste has been collected from different locations over the past few days and it has been processed.
From June 27 till July 2, nearly 61.350 tonnes of waste has been handled, he said, adding that out of this, 17.25 tonnes were wet waste -- 3.315 tonnes collected from the Pahalgam route and 14.205 tonnes from the Baltal route -- and this has been put into the compost beds.
Further, 22.23 tonnes of dry waste -- 7.31 tonnes collected from the Pahalgam route and 14.920 tonnes from the Baltal route -- has been processed after segregating it into recyclable and non-recyclable waster, he said.
In addition, the official said, 21.60 tonnes of inert and process rejects have been accumulated till now which will be send it to the RDF, or refuse-derived fuel, utilising industry by the service provider engaged for the same.
"These figures highlight the effectiveness of our waste management strategy, which emphasises the separate collection and processing of wet and dry waste to minimise environmental impact,” Director General, Rural Sanitation, Jammu and Kashmir, Anoo Malhotra, said.
She said the collaborative efforts of service providers, volunteers and pilgrims have been instrumental in maintaining the sanctity and cleanliness of the yatra routes.
“The department remains committed to upholding these standards throughout the pilgrimage, ensuring a zero-landfill experience for all participants,” Malhotra said.