The Upper Ganga Canal, which runs from Haridwar to Kanpur, has been closed for a 20-day annual shutdown to carry out routine desilting, structural repairs and fast-tracked infrastructure preparations ahead of the upcoming Kumbh Mela, officials said, according to ANI. The closure is managed by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department.

The shutdown has resulted in a sharp drop in water levels across several prominent ghats in Haridwar, including Har Ki Pauri, ANI reported. The depleted flow has caused inconvenience to thousands of visiting pilgrims, leaving many unable to take a traditional holy dip. Executive Engineer of the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department Vikas Tyagi confirmed the exercise and assured that arrangements had been made for visiting pilgrims, the report said. Despite the release of some water, many devotees expressed disappointment over the diminished flow, with several using mugs and small vessels (lotas) to bathe along the steps of the ghats, ANI reported. A visiting devotee, Sanjay, noted that while taking a proper dip was challenging, visiting the holy site remained a spiritual experience.

The same annual closure also affects drinking-water supply further downstream. The Times of India reported, via Mirror Now, that more than 20 lakh people — yaani over 2 million residents — in Ghaziabad and Noida who depend on Ganga water could face supply disruptions during the canal's desilting closure, scheduled on a Haridwar-to-Dasna stretch, and that authorities plan to rely on groundwater sources, tubewells run at full capacity and tankers where supplies remain inadequate. The irrigation department also plans to raise the canal floor near Chhota Haridwar in Muradnagar as a safety measure at the bathing ghat, the report said. (Sources: ANI, via LatestLY, October 21, 2026; The Times of India, via Mirror Now, October 2026)