Dehradun, Sep 24 (PTI): Kedarnath Dham generated 50.30 metric tonnes of waste in just five months from April to August 2026. This figure is more than two and a half times the waste collected during the entire pilgrimage season the previous year.

The Nagar Panchayat provided this information in response to a query raised by Amit Gupta, an RTI activist from Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The waste generated in just the first five months of this year far exceeds the total waste produced in any single year over the preceding three years.

According to the Nagar Panchayat, waste generation in Kedarnath stood at 32.58 metric tonnes in 2023, 26.10 metric tonnes in 2024, and 21.40 metric tonnes in 2025. In contrast, the facility has already generated 50.30 metric tonnes of waste between April and August 2026 alone.

The waste generated in just five months of 2026 is approximately 54 per cent higher than the total for 2023, about 93 per cent higher than 2024, and about 135 per cent higher than 2025. The Nagar Panchayat's data showed that 1.7 metric tonnes of waste were generated in April, rising to 16.3 metric tonnes in May. Waste generation stood at 11.5 metric tonnes in June, 10.5 metric tonnes in July, and 10.3 metric tonnes in August.

The Nagar Panchayat also provided data regarding plastic waste. The data showed that Kedarnath has generated approximately 20 metric tonnes of plastic waste so far in 2026; of this, 18.5 metric tonnes (92.5 per cent) have been processed, while about 1.5 metric tonnes remain.

The Nagar Panchayat said Kedarnath's landfill capacity is 30,000 square feet, with 28,000 square feet remaining. The body also noted that four landfills have been constructed in Kedarnath over the past five years.

The RTI activist said reliance on landfills amid rising waste levels raises significant concerns regarding the Himalayan environment -- particularly given the large number of pilgrims and tourists visiting this highly sensitive region annually.

So far this year, approximately 1.5 million pilgrims have visited Kedarnath. Gupta said these figures, revealed through an RTI enquiry, highlight the mounting pressure on Kedarnath's waste management systems.

He said, "The generation of waste in Kedarnath over just five months, far exceeding the volume produced during entire pilgrimage seasons in previous years, poses a grave threat to our environment. We ourselves are primarily responsible for turning a sacred and ecologically sensitive place like Kedarnath into a dumping ground." PTI COR DPT ASD ASD

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