With the onset of summer, religious festivals, discourses, and spiritual camps are being held across the Kangra region, drawing thousands of devotees from northern India to revered shrines like Kangra, Jwalamukhi, Chintpurni and Chamunda. However, the influx of visitors has led to rampant pollution of water bodies due to careless disposal of waste and open defecation along riverbanks, roadsides and near ponds and rivulets.
A recent study conducted by medical experts, with the assistance of locals, highlights the alarming impact of this pollution. Contaminated water, especially after summer showers, carries human waste into natural water sources, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases. Medical experts warn that a single gram of human faeces contains millions of viruses and bacteria, along with parasite cysts and eggs, which can cause typhoid, cholera, hepatitis, polio, pneumonia, worm infections and even developmental impairments in children. Open defecation, a major contributor to water contamination, is linked to high rates of diarrhoea-related deaths among children under five.
Despite government efforts spanning decades — starting with the Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP) in 1986, followed by the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) in 1999, and later the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) — ground realities remain unchanged. Crores of rupees have been spent on sanitation projects, including subsidies for toilet construction and the installation of e-toilets near parks and tourist spots, yet most rural and religious sites lack proper facilities.
The situation is particularly dire in Kangra, Jwalamukhi and Chintpurni, where thousands of pilgrims visit year-round, but clean and functional public toilets are scarce. Without immediate intervention — such as stricter enforcement of sanitation regulations, better waste management and the provision of proper toilet facilities — these sacred sites may continue to suffer from environmental degradation and health hazards.
