DEHRADUN: A stretch of the River Ganga near Haridwar has appeared strikingly clear in a video that has gone viral on social media, following a large clean-up drive ahead of the 2027 Ardh Kumbh.
The footage shows the riverbed and fish beneath the water, prompting praise for the effort — and renewed calls to prevent waste from returning to the river.
Sanitation workers, government departments, civic bodies, local organisations and volunteers reportedly removed nearly 150 metric tonnes of waste from a 10-km stretch.
The waste included silt, plastic, discarded clothes and religious offerings.
As part of the operation, a canal was reportedly closed for about 20 days, exposing waste accumulated along the riverbed near key ghats, including Har Ki Pauri.
Volunteers and workers joined the clean-up before the flow resumed.
The video, filmed after the water returned, shows stone tiles beneath the surface and small fish swimming in the clear water. While the images have drawn widespread attention, the appearance of the water alone does not establish its quality or safety.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Bharat Bhushan Sharma, sub-divisional officer with the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department’s Ganga division, said the limited time available for the clean-up made the task challenging.
“It is a major challenge for the department to stop the water for 20 days and clear the waste and garbage discarded by people over the remaining 350-odd days of the year,” Sharma said.
He said the Ganga was a key source for irrigation in 15 districts of Uttar Pradesh and for drinking water in seven districts of the National Capital Region.
He cited Meerut, Agra and Gautam Buddha Nagar among the districts being served.
Sharma credited public participation for the scale of the effort.
“The municipal corporation, government departments and local organisations contributed exceptional work through collective voluntary labour,” he said, adding that thousands took part, including members of Ganga Seva, led by Deepak Rajguru, and the Bharatiya River Council, among other organisations.
The video has attracted thousands of views and hundreds of comments.
“That is stunning. Well done to the authorities. I hope people do not start littering again,” one user wrote.
Another asked how long the river would remain the same. One user urged people to stop leaving old clothes and other items in the water after taking a ritual dip.
“Please use a dustbin. We need to stop treating our rivers as dumping grounds,” the user wrote.
The clean-up has also highlighted the scale of the challenge beyond the stretch shown in the video. The Ganga flows through Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
Its basin, fed by tributaries including the Yamuna, Son, Ghaghra, Gandak, Kosi, Ramganga, Gomti and Damodar, extends across 11 states, including Delhi.
It supports drinking-water, irrigation and industrial needs across a vast region.
Authorities are preparing for the 2027 Ardh Kumbh in Haridwar, where large numbers of devotees, saints and seers are expected to gather.
A floating trash interceptor — a barrier designed to capture solid waste on the water — is being installed in the river to help manage litter during the event, scheduled from January 14 to April 20.