When thousands of pilgrims (Warkaris) would start their journey on foot from Dehu to Pandharpur on Monday and from Alandi to Pandharpur on Tuesday, they would, for the first time, have mobile toilets in all villages (over 30) of night-halt on their route.
Last year, NGO Seva Sahayog Foundation implemented a pilot project of mobile toilets in two villages of Loni Kalbhor and Yavat, which fall on the pilgrimage route of Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palakhi.
There are two Palakhis (two different groups of devotees reaching Pandharpur) that reach Pandharpur on a particular day (Ashadhi Ekadashi) to seek Darshan and blessings from deity Vithoba or Vithhal. The annual pilgrimage or Wari is being followed as a tradition for over 250 years.
The pilgrimage attracts more than 2 lakh devotees who participate in Wari every year. But sudden rise in floating population results in problems of sanitation, drinking water, toilets and shelter in the en-route villages. Seva Sahayog along with RSS and BJP workers last year showed that providing mobile toilets can reduce open defecation to a large extent.
Pradeep Rawat, former MP from Pune, informed dna that this year the state government, especially minister for finance Sudhir Mungantiwar and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis have expressed determination to make it a 'Nirmal Wari', or clean pilgrimage. Night halt is planned in 32 villages on the two routes where Warkaris or pilgrims walk to reach Pandharpur.
He informed that to start with on Monday, there are 300 mobile rest rooms deployed at Dehu and on Tuesday, when pilgrims start from Alandi, 500 mobile rest rooms have been deployed. As the pilgrims move, the mobile toilets too would be moved and at Pandharpur Wakhari 2,700 such mobile toilets would be deployed.
Rawat informed that last year one million litres of excreta was collected at Pandharpur on Ashadhi Ekadashi day.
