Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Aug 30
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised sanitation and waste-management measures adopted during this year’s Amarnath Yatra, highlighting the processing of more than 400 metric tonnes of waste and the use of biogas generated from horse and mule dung.
Speaking in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Modi said the pilgrimage demonstrated how public participation could make cleanliness part of religious service.
The Amarnath Yatra, which began on July 3 and ended on August 28, drew about 4.80 lakh yatris, according to the supplied figures.
Modi said more than 400 metric tonnes of waste had been collected and scientifically processed under a zero-waste-to-landfill approach.
He also highlighted an experiment in which dung from horses and mules used during the yatra was converted into biogas to power the “Swachh Jyot”.
More than 16,000 yatris took a cleanliness pledge during the yatra, while more than 10,000 received a “Responsible Yatri” certificate, Modi said.
“Cleanliness became a form of service and faith during this yatra to Baba Barfani,” he said.
The sanitation and waste-management programme was implemented by the Directorate of Rural Sanitation under the J&K Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj across the Baltal and Pahalgam routes, base camps and other key locations.
More than 8000 sanitation facilities and related infrastructure, including prefabricated structures, toilets, bathing facilities and pucca bases, were deployed for yatris.
The system included source-level segregation, collection, transportation, processing and disposal of waste, supported by sanitation personnel stationed along the routes and at camps.
Director General Rural Sanitation, J&K, Anoo Malhotra said 414.46 metric tonnes of waste had been collected and processed under the zero-waste-to-landfill system.
She said the approach was particularly important because the yatra passes through ecologically fragile Himalayan terrain.
Information, education, and communication campaigns were also conducted to encourage yatris to use designated facilities and dispose of waste responsibly.
Technology-based monitoring and field supervision were used to oversee sanitation and waste-management operations, officials said.
Malhotra said the PM’s remarks gave national recognition to efforts by the administration and sanitation workers to manage waste during the yatra.
