After the stampede at the Maha Kumbh left many dead and injured, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath appealed to people to not to reach the Sangam Nose and instead take a dip in the Ganga at their nearest ghats.
But, what is the Sangam Nose? It is the place where the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers meet. It is so named because of its shape. One can witness the light blue water of the Yamuna and the slightly muddy one of the Ganga come together to form a third, distinct colour, as it is joined by the Saraswati.
It is this area which becomes the Sangam Ghat and is the most preferred bathing place in the Kumbh Mela.
This time special arrangements were made to manage the crowd at Sangam Nose during the Kumbh Mela. The Irrigation Department worked to increase 26 hectares of land between Shastri Bridge and Sangam Nose. For this, four large dredging machines were used and the area of Sangam Ghat was expanded by laying sandbags. This increased the capacity of the bathing area at Sangam Nose over three times. In 2019, 50,000 devotees could bathe here in an hour, but now more than two lakh devotees can bathe every hour.
Relief operations have begun on a war footing.
— अरुण बाजपेयी राजन (@arunbajpairajan) January 29, 2025
The police administration is actively engaged in relief and rescue efforts.
As a result, the situation is currently under control and normal.
Bathing is peacefully ongoing at all ghats of the Sangam. pic.twitter.com/fgrcGRiIWl
At the Sangam, the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department merged three streams of the Ganga River into one to prepare for the 2025 Mahakumbh. This was done to improve the bathing experience for the millions of devotees expected to attend the Mahakumbh. It was also done to ensure a continuous flow of water at the Sangam and to restore the river's original flow and improve its purity.
The merging created a single, cohesive stream of the Ganga while creating more space for devotees to bathe simultaneously.
However, now devotees are being asked to not move towards the Nose but to bathe at any ghat closest to them. There are 12 kilometres of ghat in this Mahakumbh. A rush of devotees to the Sangam is understandable as this is the most standout feature of the Mahakumbh. They are thus unlikely to pay heed to directions to stay away from the most preferred bathing spot.
