Magh Mela 2026: Preparations In Place For Makar Sankranti Dip At Sangam; Over 1 Crore Pilgrims Expected

Prayagraj: The administration has made extensive preparations ahead of the Makar Sankranti dip at the Sangam during the ongoing Magh Mela, with officials anticipating the arrival of more than one crore devotees on January 15.

After over 31 lakh pilgrims took the holy dip on the occasion of Paush Purnima, authorities have stepped up arrangements to manage the significantly higher footfall expected during the second major ritual bath during the Magh Mela -- the Makar Sankranti Snan.

Special emphasis has been laid on crowd management, sanitation, security and smooth transportation, officials said.

They said bathing ghats stretching over 12,100 feet have been prepared for the occasion, equipped with amenities such as changing rooms, toilets and pathways.

To minimise walking distance for pilgrims, parking facilities have been created close to the ghats. As many as 42 temporary parking sites have been developed, with capacity to accommodate over one lakh vehicles, they added.

Additionally, bike-taxi services and golf carts have been arranged to assist devotees in moving across the mela area.

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Last year, around 28.95 lakh devotees took a dip at the Sangam on Makar Sankranti. Anticipating nearly three times that number this year, the administration has drawn up a comprehensive crowd management plan, Magh Mela Officer Rishiraj said.

To ensure adequate water levels at the holy confluence, around 8,000 cusecs of water is being released daily from the Ganga Barrage in Kanpur, while all the 81 drains emptying into the rivers at Prayagraj have been tapped and water quality is being continuously monitored, the officer said.

Sanitation arrangements include the deployment of around 3,300 sanitation workers, installation of 25,880 toilets, 11,000 dustbins and the use of suction machines, with the aim of maintaining an open defecation-free and zero-discharge mela area, he added.

On the security front, Magh Mela Superintendent of Police Neeraj Pandey said the mela area has been divided into 17 police station zones and 42 police outposts, supported by 20 fire stations, seven fire outposts, 20 watchtowers, a water police station and control room, and four sub-control rooms. Paramilitary forces have also been deployed for security.

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Over 8 km of deep-water barricading, and 2 km of river-line barricading for one-way movement have also been installed, he added. More than 400 CCTV cameras, including AI-enabled systems, have been installed across the mela and city areas for crowd monitoring, density analysis, incident reporting and overall security surveillance, officials said.

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