Next Maha Kumbh could be on sand as rivers may dry up: Sonam Wangchuk to PM

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has written an open letter to prime minister Narendra Modi, expressing apprehension that the next Maha Kumbh, after 144 years, could be held on sand as “the rivers may dry up.”

In his letter, Sonam Wangchuk sought to draw prime minister Narendra Modi’s attention towards the “fast melting” of the Himalayan glaciers, the source of many of India’s rivers.

Wangchuk suggested that India should “take a lead” in preserving its glaciers.

“India needs to take a lead in glacier preservation as we have the Himalayas, and our sacred rivers such as the Ganga and Yamuna come out of them,” he said in his letter.

The Ladakh-based environmentalist called himself an “admirer” of various environmental initiatives of the prime minister, and urged him to set up a commission to assess the state of Himalayan glaciers.

“As we all know, the Himalayan glaciers are melting very fast, and if this and the accompanying deforestation continues at the current rate, in a few decades our sacred rivers like Ganga, Brahmputra and Indus might become seasonal rivers. This may also mean that the next Maha Kumbh might only happen on the sandy remains of the sacred river,” he warned.

Further, Wangchuk rued that on the ground, there is “very little awareness” among the people on this issue.

He also sought an audience with the prime minister Modi for a group of community members from Ladakh to present a block of ice from one of Ladakh’s fast melting glaciers as a “message” from the climate-affected people of the region.

The United Nations has declared 2025 as the “International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation.”

The ongoing Maha Kumbh, which began on January 13 and will conclude today, is being held on the banks of the Triveni Sangam in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj.

Sangam is the meeting point of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the legendary Saraswati in Prayagraj.