Nashik Prepares for Simhastha Kumbh Mela Amid Groundwater Chromium Emergency
Nashik is in full Kumbh Mela preparation mode — with monkey-catchers, flag campaigns, and a Chief Minister's inspection underway — but a severe groundwater contamination crisis in the city's Ambad industrial area is adding an urgent environmental dimension to this season of religious anticipation.
🎉 Forest Department Deploys Monkey-Catchers Ahead of Trimbakeshwar Dhwajarohan Ceremony
Maharashtra's Forest Department has launched a monkey-catching operation across Nashik to clear the path for the 'Dhwajarohan' (flag-hoisting) ceremony at Trimbakeshwar, the auspicious ritual that formally inaugurates the Simhastha Kumbh Mela season. The ceremony is scheduled for October 31 at precisely 12:02 pm, a time determined to be astronomically propitious for the commencement of the Mela. Forest Department personnel have been working in coordination with local administration to safely trap and relocate monkeys from the Trimbakeshwar temple area and surrounding localities where large numbers of the animals congregate. The presence of monkeys during major religious gatherings presents a practical challenge: they can disrupt processions, startle pilgrims, and interfere with rituals. The operation is part of a broader set of preparations by multiple government departments to ensure that the Dhwajarohan proceeds without incident before the eyes of the large crowd of devotees and dignitaries expected to attend. The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela is one of four major Kumbh Mela sites in India, rotating with Prayagraj, Haridwar, and Ujjain on a twelve-year cycle. Officials indicated the monkey relocation drive would continue until the day of the ceremony to minimise disruptions during this sacred occasion. [1]
🗳️ Toxic Chromium at 1,000 Times Safe Limit Found in Nashik Groundwater; 109 Residents Diagnosed
A toxic emergency has been declared in Nashik's Ambad industrial area after laboratory analysis confirmed hexavalent chromium concentrations of 50.3 milligrams per litre in residential borewell water — surpassing India's Bureau of Indian Standards drinking water limit of 0.05 mg per litre by over one thousand times. The contamination, whose bright yellow colour has made the polluted water visibly alarming to residents, is believed to originate from industrial hexavalent chromium used by electroplating units at the Ambad MIDC. Local environmental activists Roshan Kedar, Rajesh Pandit, and their team have been following up on the issue and working with residents. Parineeta Dandekar of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People visited the affected area and arranged for borewell water samples to be tested at an accredited laboratory, which returned the alarming figures now driving official action. The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board has ordered the closure of seventeen electroplating units identified as probable polluters. Medical authorities have already diagnosed 109 residents with skin ailments, with children developing blisters after bathing in the contaminated water and suffering non-healing ulcers. Authorities have issued a ban on groundwater use in the affected zones and initiated a broader medical screening programme for residents who may have been exposed. The crisis is particularly pressing given that millions of Kumbh Mela pilgrims will soon be arriving in the broader Nashik region. [3]
BJP Minister Girish Mahajan Launches 'Har Ghar Bhagwa' Campaign for Kumbh
Maharashtra's Water Resources and Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan has inaugurated the 'Har Ghar Bhagwa' — meaning 'Saffron Flag at Every Home' — campaign in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar to build communal spirit ahead of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela. Mahajan, who also serves as the Guardian Minister for Nashik district, launched the initiative by hoisting a saffron flag at his own residence and appealing to citizens across the region to do the same in a show of collective faith. The campaign targets the hoisting of one lakh saffron flags in total — seventy-five thousand within Nashik city and twenty-five thousand in Trimbakeshwar — ahead of the formal flag-hoisting ceremony at Trimbakeshwar scheduled for October 31 with President Droupadi Murmu in attendance. Coordination for the drive is being carried out through more than two thousand booth-level heads who will reach out to residents at the neighbourhood level. Mayor Himgauri Adke-Aher and local MLAs joined Mahajan at the campaign launch. The minister described the saffron flag as a symbol of pride in faith, culture, and tradition, and said the campaign's core objective is to reinforce the religious and cultural identity of Nashik and Trimbakeshwar as the Kumbh Mela approaches. The government is simultaneously prioritising crowd management, safety logistics, and traffic planning for the unprecedented influx of devotees. [4]
🗳️ Chief Minister Fadnavis Inspects Nashik Kumbh Mela Infrastructure
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis conducted a direct inspection of ongoing infrastructure and development work in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar being undertaken in preparation for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela. After reviewing the progress of multiple projects, the Chief Minister expressed satisfaction with the pace of construction and confirmed that works are progressing well and expected to be completed on schedule before the Mela begins. The inspection encompassed a range of public infrastructure improvements including road widening, bridge upgrades, riverfront ghat construction along the Godavari and Pushpavati rivers, sanitation facilities, and accommodation for the millions of pilgrims expected to attend. The Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha Kumbh Mela, occurring once every twelve years, is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth and places an immense logistical demand on the host city's infrastructure. The Chief Minister was accompanied by senior officials who briefed him on the status of permanent structures, temporary facilities for the duration of the Mela, security arrangements, and medical infrastructure. Fadnavis also reviewed traffic management plans designed to accommodate the extraordinary influx of devotees and vehicles, and directed officials to accelerate any remaining work. Nashik's last Simhastha Kumbh Mela, held in 2015, saw tens of millions of pilgrims visit the city, and the state government is treating the current edition as a large-scale civic project of comparable magnitude. [8]
Sources: [1] ETV Bharat · [3] Down To Earth · [4] Deccan Herald · [8] ANI News