Uttarakhand Government turns to technology to ensure smooth conduct of Kanwar Yatra

The recently concluded Kanwar Yatra witnessed unique technological interventions used for the first time by Uttarakhand State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in rescue operations and to minimise accidents.

The SDRF teams deployed at Haridwar and Rishikesh were equipped with highly sophisticated equipment used in rescue operations. Over 16 Kanwariyas were successfully rescued by the SDRF, the force said in a statement.

Ahead of the Kanwar Yatra, the SDRF procured specialised tubes from Germany, that weighs roughly around 1 kilogram and inflates into a full-size life-saving tube upon coming in contact with water.

The equipment was used to rescue a constable in Haridwar.

The SDRF teams were also equipped with drones to monitor situations in sensitive areas like ghats.

Over 2085 people were also given medical treatment by emergency primary care centres set up by the disaster response forces in various locations within the state.

The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of Lord Shiva's devotees, which had started this year on July 23.

Every year, around this time of the year, scores of these devotees from across India, often wearing orange-coloured clothes with decorated pots on their shoulders, undertake the pilgrimage, called Kanwar Yatra, on foot during Saavan- a month in the Hindu calendar.

These pilgrims, majority of whom are young men, visit Haridwar, Gaumukh, and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch water of River Ganga.

Later, the holy water is dispensed as offering to Lord Shiva in temples. The Uttarakhand government had already announced that all schools and colleges in Haridwar would remain closed from July 23 to July 30.