Status: Not Approved
Varanasi: A research study published in the Indian Journal of Community Medicine (Wolters Kluwer Medknow), published on February 20, highlighted how the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, India, achieved exceptional safety outcomes during the world’s largest mass gathering. Prof Tiwari said that despite more than 5 lakh vehicles entering designated parking zones each day, the trauma centre recorded only a small rise in cases—from 11–12 per day before the Kumbh to 13–14 per day during it. The researchers noted that if trauma cases increased in the same proportion as the traffic, the hospital should have seen around 350 trauma cases in the 15-day study sample. Instead, only 202 cases occurred. This meant about 146 injuries were prevented in just those 2 weeks. When extended to the entire 45-day festival and the nationwide travel undertaken by pilgrims, the numbers became even more striking. The study estimated that between 6,000 and 9,000 trauma cases were prevented across India, including 1,300 to 1,900 maxillofacial injuries. Using national healthcare cost data, the researchers calculated that preventing these injuries saved Rs 71 crores to Rs 160 crores in direct medical expenses during the Kumbh period.
The study was conducted by Prof Preeti Tiwari, Dr Nishtha Chauhan, Dr Narendra Kumar Tiwary, and Dr Vaibhav Pandey from the Institute of Medical Sciences at Banaras Hindu University . For such an immense influx, this increase was far lower than expected. Thousands of people who might have ended up in hospitals returned home safe. This included hospital treatment, critical care, and surgical costs. The true savings were even greater, as avoided disability, reduced hospital burden, and uninterrupted economic productivity were not included.
Unlike earlier Kumbh gatherings that faced challenges such as the 2013 crowd surge tragedy, the 2025 event operated with unprecedented organisation and safety preparedness. The study credited the success to well-planned administrative measures, including large no-vehicle zones around core areas, satellite parking hubs that kept heavy traffic away from crowded zones, smooth one-way traffic movement to avoid bottlenecks, CCTV and drone-based real-time monitoring, advanced crowd-mapping systems, quick-response medical teams stationed across key points, and seamless coordination between police, transport, health, municipal, and disaster-management departments.