Three streams of the Ganga river were merged at the Sangam area here by the Irrigation department of Uttar Pradesh to create better bathing facilities for millions of devotees expected to attend the Maha Kumbh in 2025, officials said on Wednesday.

Approximately 22 hectares of additional space have been created which will allow a large number of devotees to bathe simultaneously at a central location, officials added.

Previously, the Ganga had changed its course, splitting into three streams between Shastri Bridge and Sangam Nose. This split impacted the river’s purity and complicated the organisation of the Maha Kumbh, officials said.

The division not only reduced the mela area but also disrupted arrangements for the pilgrims, they said.

Now, with the efforts of the irrigation department, the river’s original course has been restored and it is flowing cohesively as a single stream, they added.

The department developed a strategic plan to ensure a grand Maha Kumbh experience, centralising bathing facilities for the anticipated 40 crore devotees at one location instead of spreading them across multiple spots.

The department drew a parallel to the mythological story of Bhagirath, who brought the sacred river to Earth through rigorous penance for the salvation of his ancestors,

“To turn the plan into reality, the expertise of IIT-Guwahati’s team was sought. Based on their survey report, three massive dredging machines were deployed to streamline and expand the flow of Ganga in the Sangam area,” they said.  Initially, the swift current and high water levels of the river posed significant challenges. Stabilizing the dredging machines in the strong flow and merging the two side streams with the central stream proved especially difficult, officials said.

To tackle these issues, the dredgers were strategically positioned at various points near Shastri Bridge.

However, the powerful current repeatedly destabilised the heavy dredgers, causing discharge pipes to bend and making it difficult to control the equipment, they added.

The team then used large anchors, pontoon bridges and thick ropes secured to the riverbanks to stabilise the machines, they said.

After relentless efforts, the three streams of Ganga river were successfully unified into a single flow which made the Sangam area more spacious and better organised than ever before, officials said.

To level the additional 22 hectares of space, five lakh metric tonnes of sand were arranged, ensuring a well-prepared and accessible fairground for the upcoming Maha Kumbh, officials added.