In line with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s vision for a pristine Ganga-Yamuna during Maha Kumbh, the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation has deployed a high-tech trash skimmer that removes 10-15 tons of garbage daily, complementing manual cleaning efforts.
The Yogi government is continuously striving to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cleanliness vision, with preparations for the world’s largest gathering, Maha Kumbh, having begun four years ago.
To ensure that devotees get clean and pure water while taking a holy dip in Sangam, a trash skimmer machine was installed, initially removing 50-60 quintals of garbage daily. Seeing its efficiency, another machine was purchased by the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation two years ago, doubling the speed of river cleaning operations.
It may be mentioned that a trash skimmer machine collects floating waste from the water’s surface, making it ideal for cleaning rivers, ports and seas. It removes plastic, bottles, religious offerings, clothes, metal objects, puja waste and even dead animals or birds. The machine is also effective in removing water hyacinth and aquatic weeds, ensuring clean and navigable waterways.
The trash skimmer machine deployed for cleaning the Ganga and Yamuna has a capacity of 13 cubic metres and covers a four-kilometer stretch of the river. This includes the Sangam area and other key locations, including the Boat Club. The machine is efficiently cleaning both rivers simultaneously.
The machine has gates on both sides, with a conveyor belt inside. These gates close hydraulically to trap floating debris. Once collected, the waste is transferred to the conveyor belt. The debris is then moved to an unloading conveyor belt, where it is extracted and processed for disposal.
Municipal corporation officials have designated a disposal site near Naini for the waste collected by the machine. From there, it is transported daily to a processing plant in Baswar. At the plant, coconut shells, plastic and other materials are sorted and separated. Plastic waste is sent for recycling, while organic waste is processed into compost.
According to officials, the amount of waste collected has increased 20 times since the start of Maha Kumbh. The machine effectively removes flowers, garlands, dona-pattal, incense wrappers, plastic, coconuts, clothes, and other floating waste from the river’s surface.
The machine, sourced from Mumbai, is being operated and maintained by the supplier company under a five-year contract to ensure its optimal functioning and efficiency.
