How India has managed its Maha Kumbh festival, the world's largest gathering
World
The Maha Kumbh Mela is the world's largest gathering of humanity, with 400 million visitors expected
PRAYAGRAJ (Reuters) – Several people were killed and injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in northern India on Wednesday, said an official, as tens of millions gathered to take a holy dip on the most auspicious day of the six-week Hindu festival.
Here is a look at how authorities have been managing the mammoth crowds at the six-week festival that began on Jan. 13 and is set to be the world's largest gathering of humanity, with 400 million visitors expected in the northern city of Prayagraj.
TENT CITY
A temporary city has sprung up across 4,000 hectares (9,990 acres) on the river banks – the size of 7,500 football fields – with 150,000 tents to accommodate devotees and almost an equal number of toilets.
About 69,000 LED and solar lights illuminate the paths through the settlement, kept clean by 15,000 sanitation workers.
SECURITY
Temporary police stations and checkpoints in Prayagraj include three floating 'water police stations' on the river, while paramilitary troops and bomb disposal squads are also at the ready.
More than 50,000 personnel are on guard to ensure the safety of visitors.
TECHNOLOGY
Authorities are using closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, drones, and tethered drones to monitor the festival area, along with anti-drone craft to find and remove unauthorised drones.
Also in use are underwater drones that can operate to a depth of 100 metres (3,330 feet), equipped with advanced technology to function in low-light conditions.
FIRE SAFETY
Every tent has been fitted with fire-fighting equipment, while more than 1.3 billion rupees ($15 million) has been designated for fire safety in the festival area, with 351 firefighting vehicles and 2,000 trained personnel on hand to immediately stamp out any fires.
A large fire broke out in some tents on Jan. 19 but the blaze was quickly brought under control and no one was injured.
LOST-AND-FOUND CENTRES
To help reunite families separated in the crowd, centres with dedicated sections for women and children have been set up, while loudspeakers installed along the river banks will make continuous announcements about those separated.
Authorities are also using state of the art facial recognition technology and images from nearly 3,000 CCTV cameras to trace missing people.
