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Photo-article-logo Monday, 16 February 2026

Kumbh Mela begins under a cloud of toxic air

The hazardous air may hinder the government's drive to make the festival a global tourism event

AP Published 15.01.19, 09:18 AM
A thick layer of dust hangs over the tent city set up for Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. The skies over the Sangam, the confluence of sacred rivers where millions have come to wash away their sins, are thick with toxic dust, a sign that officials are struggling to grapple with India's worsening air pollution.
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A thick layer of dust hangs over the tent city set up for Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. The skies over the Sangam, the confluence of sacred rivers where millions have come to wash away their sins, are thick with toxic dust, a sign that officials are struggling to grapple with India's worsening air pollution.

AP
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Security personnel take oath to execute their duties honestly after offering prayers at the Sangam. For this year's Kumbh, the government shelled out more than Rs 400 crore, hoping to impress voters ahead of the general elections this year and draw visitors from around the world.
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Security personnel take oath to execute their duties honestly after offering prayers at the Sangam. For this year's Kumbh, the government shelled out more than Rs 400 crore, hoping to impress voters ahead of the general elections this year and draw visitors from around the world.

AP
A man holding a mace dances his way into the festival. Four sites in India rotate every three years hosting the Kumbh, the world's largest pilgrimage. The river baths, prayer, meditation and yoga sessions and other religious rituals are organised by sadhus, and financially supported with public funds.
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A man holding a mace dances his way into the festival. Four sites in India rotate every three years hosting the Kumbh, the world's largest pilgrimage. The river baths, prayer, meditation and yoga sessions and other religious rituals are organised by sadhus, and financially supported with public funds.

AP
Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi, head of the Kinnar Akhara for transgenders, holds two infants to bless them while riding on a camel during a procession towards the Sangam.
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Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi, head of the Kinnar Akhara for transgenders, holds two infants to bless them while riding on a camel during a procession towards the Sangam.

AP
A boy rests in a makeshift night shelter for devotees. Tens of millions throng to the Kumbh for a holy dip, many with little money, few provisions and nowhere to sleep.
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A boy rests in a makeshift night shelter for devotees. Tens of millions throng to the Kumbh for a holy dip, many with little money, few provisions and nowhere to sleep.

AP
A man paints a boat ahead of Kumbh Mela under a gloomy sky. The dust plumes encompassing the Kumbh camp come from the sandy riverbanks, and not from construction, which is banned during the 55-day festival, according to Allahabad commissioner Ashish Goel.
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A man paints a boat ahead of Kumbh Mela under a gloomy sky. The dust plumes encompassing the Kumbh camp come from the sandy riverbanks, and not from construction, which is banned during the 55-day festival, according to Allahabad commissioner Ashish Goel.

AP

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Kumbh Mela Air Pollution
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