The amount of waste dumped at Kedarnath in the first three months of the current yatra season has already crossed the quantity of waste produced at the ecologically fragile site in 2022, with most of it disposed of untreated near the base camp. The data is as per the official record. Kedarnath Temple is located in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand at a height of about 3,584 metres. It is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Himalayas.
According to information provided by Nagar Panchayat Kedarnath in reply to an RTI application filed by environmentalist Amit Gupta, a total of 17.6 metric tonnes of garbage was generated at the Himalayan shrine between May and July 2025. Of this, only 7.1 metric tonnes could be processed or recycled, while the remaining 10.5 metric tonnes were dumped untreated.
The month-wise data shows that 8.4 metric tonnes of waste were generated in May, 5.6 metric tonnes in June, and 3.6 metric tonnes in the month of July. Waste processing stood at 3.2 metric tonnes, 2.4 metric tonnes, and 1.5 metric tonnes, respectively, during these months. The untreated waste was dumped at a newly created landfill site near the Kedarnath base camp, which has a capacity of 1,500 feet.
A new material recovery facility with a size of 278.8 square metres and a capacity of five tonnes per day has also been set up, while a detailed project report for a solid and liquid waste management plant costing Rs 3.13 crore is under approval.
Official figures accessed earlier by Gupta through RTI applications show that a total of 72.53 metric tonnes of garbage was generated at the shrine between 2022 and 2024. Of this, only 32 per cent was processed while the remaining 68 per cent was dumped untreated.
In 2022, Kedarnath generated 13.85 metric tonnes of waste, all of which was practically dumped as the processing stood at just 0.65 metric tonnes. A small landfill of 7.5 by 6 square metres created near Nehru Institute of Mountaineering that year was filled the same season. In 2023, the total waste load jumped to 32.58 metric tonnes, with inorganic waste rising sharply to 14.1 metric tonnes.
Of this, only 14.1 metric tonnes were processed, while 18.48 metric tonnes were dumped untreated. A new landfill of 600 square metres was created near the helipad in 2023, but it also exhausted its capacity by the next season. In 2024, 26.10 metric tonnes of waste were generated, of which 8.6 metric tonnes were processed and 17.5 metric tonnes dumped untreated.
Kedarnath generated 49.18 metric tonnes of organic waste and 23.35 metric tonnes of inorganic waste between 2022 to 2024. Despite the rising stress, no complaints were officially recorded and no fines were imposed by the authorities during this period.
Gupta said Kedarnath lacks a proper waste processing facility and, as a result, a large quantity of it is dumped at a landfill.
"The quantity of untreated waste is increasing every year. We are destroying the pristine environment of Kedarnath ji. There is also a need to strictly implement the ban on single-use plastics there," he said.
The temple opens every year in April or May and closes around October or November due to snowfall. In the winter, the idol is shifted to Ukhimath for worship. The yatra attracts lakhs of devotees every season. By the end of July 2025, more than 14 lakh pilgrims had visited Kedarnath, the highest among the Char Dham shrines.
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