Pilgrimage or pollution? The waste crisis of Indian faith

By Raj Kumar Sinha* 

In today's times, there are certain issues that are constantly talked about and discussed, yet no visible impact seems to be made. Beyond water, soil, and pollution, one crisis that continues to be overlooked is waste. Like other life-threatening problems, waste too is gradually moving toward burying and obliterating us. After the Kanwar Yatra in Haridwar, approximately 8,000 tonnes of waste were left behind on the riverbanks, including bottles filled with urine. 

This is not merely a problem of sanitation management. It is a sign of a deeper crisis in which religious faith, tourism, consumption, and our waste culture are consistently drifting away from environmental responsibility. Everyone has the right to faith, but turning nature into a heap of waste in the name of faith is unacceptable by any measure.

In 2025, a record 1,768,000 pilgrims visited Baba Kedarnath at Kedarnath Dham. Along with this massive religious journey, a mountain of nearly 2,300 tonnes of waste accumulated at Kedarnath Dham. On average, each pilgrim left behind one and a half kilograms of waste. This waste was spread from Gaurikund all the way to Kedarnath Dham, comprising about 100 tonnes of plastic and 2,200 tonnes of other waste.

This waste, accumulating in the high Himalayan region, poses a serious challenge to the ecosystem, water sources, flora, and fauna. The problem is not limited to religious pilgrimages. According to information provided by the Delhi government to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on December 23, 2025, the city generates 11,852 tonnes of waste daily. Of this, 7,611 tonnes—64.2 percent—are processed each day, while roughly 4,241 tonnes—35.8 percent—remain for disposal at the Bhalaswa and Ghazipur dump sites daily.

This means that mountains of waste are not only forming in the Himalayas or pilgrimage sites but are also steadily growing around metropolitan cities. According to a new report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), India produces about 19,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day. Of this, 62 percent of plastic is used for packaging, compared to the global average of approximately 40 percent. Plastic packaging consumption is growing at an annual rate of 8 to 9 percent. If this trend continues, plastic packaging consumption, which stood at 1.1 crore tonnes in 2022, could rise to about 2 crore tonnes by 2030.

Online shopping has further accelerated this crisis. A typical online delivery involves multiple materials such as poly mailers, plastic wrap, tape, labels, and additional packaging. Every online order generates new packaging waste. As the e-commerce market grows, so does the volume of packaging waste at a correspondingly rapid pace. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, India generates approximately 3.9 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. Of this, only about half is collected, and of the collected waste, merely about 50 percent is recycled. Where does the rest go? A large portion ends up in landfills, rivers, and oceans, or is incinerated. Burning increases air pollution and toxic emissions.

Plastic is also entering our air, water, and food. Between 2000 and 2019, approximately 30 million tonnes of plastic accumulated in the marine environment. Experts have warned that if the current trend continues, by 2050 the amount of plastic in the oceans could reach a very serious level, exceeding the quantity of fish. Last year, 55 tonnes of plastic waste were collected in a single day from the forests of Tamil Nadu. At the foothills of Maruthamalai near Coimbatore, a pregnant elephant died, and plastic bags were found in its intestines. This incident shows that waste discarded by humans is ultimately making its way into wildlife.

India generates approximately 7.073 million tonnes of textile waste annually. Of this, about 42 percent is pre-consumer waste from factories and manufacturing units, while 58 percent comes from post-consumer waste—old clothes and household textiles discarded by consumers. The crisis in the textile industry is not limited to waste from old clothing. Toxic and contaminated water discharged from textile dyeing and processing units can pollute local water sources and groundwater. Discarded fabric without recycling adds pressure on landfills, and as organic matter decomposes, it releases greenhouse gases like methane. According to CSE, more than 60 percent of new garments produced worldwide today contain plastic-based fibers in some form. This means the crisis of 'fast fashion' is not just about excessive clothing consumption but also about the growing consumption of plastic.

In such a situation, companies must be held accountable not only for production and sales but also for the waste generated after product use. First and foremost, unnecessary consumption must be reduced. Why produce packaging that is not needed at all? Unnecessary plastic wrap and extra packaging in online shopping should be prohibited. The second step is reuse. Packaging materials that can be used repeatedly should be promoted. The third step is recycling, but it is also wrong to consider recycling the solution to every problem. Materials must be designed that can truly and economically be recycled. The fourth and most important step is accountability.

Producer responsibility should be implemented not merely as paper compliance but as genuine accountability. Pilgrimage sites and tourist areas should have specialized waste management systems. Waste generation should be estimated based on the number of visitors, waste should be segregated at the source, there should be an effective ban on single-use plastics, and pilgrims should be engaged with the principle of "carry in, carry back." At religious processions like the Kanwar Yatra, pilgrimages like Kedarnath, and large events, shared responsibility should be fixed among organizers, administration, local bodies, and travelers.

Above all, a change in consumer culture is essential. The culture of "buy, use, and throw away" must be transformed into a culture of "buy less, use longer, reuse, and recycle." The real crisis is that we have separated development, convenience, consumption, and faith from the limits of nature. We must decide that our religious journey cannot be considered complete by polluting a river, covering a mountain with plastic, or leaving waste behind in a forest. Likewise, cheap fashion cannot continue indefinitely at the cost of the earth's resources. The time has come not merely to remove mountains of waste but to prevent such mountains from being created in the first place, and to formulate policies accordingly. Whether it is faith or the marketplace, no one has the right to turn nature into a dumping ground.

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*With Bargi Dam Displaced and Affected Union