Ahead of the sacred four-day festival of Chhath Puja 2026, which commences on Friday, November 13, and concludes at dawn on Monday, November 16, the Uttar Pradesh capital of Lucknow has completed comprehensive civic and environmental preparations along the banks of the Gomti River. Operating in alignment with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s vision of hosting a clean, safe, and environmentally sustainable celebration, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has readied a total of 110 ghats across all eight administrative zones of the city. Comprising 47 major riverfront venues and 63 smaller neighborhood ghats, the expansive network has undergone intensive cleaning, structural repair, decorative illumination, and sanitation upgrades to welcome hundreds of thousands of fasting devotees (vratis) and their families. For Lucknow’s large Purvanchali community as well as local residents who gather annually along the Gomti to worship Surya Dev and Chhathi Maiya, the administration’s upgraded infrastructure promises both spiritual serenity and streamlined crowd management.

Civic Amenities, Lighting, and Control Rooms Across Lucknow's Ghats

Acting on direct instructions from Lucknow Municipal Commissioner Gaurav Kumar, civic engineering and sanitation teams have worked around the clock over the past week to transform the city’s riverbanks into welcoming festive spaces. At all 47 major ghats, municipal crews have completed fresh painting and whitewashing of steps, deep silt and weed removal, decorative festooning, and high-visibility illumination to ensure safe movement during both dusk and pre-dawn rituals. Parallel beautification and sanitation drives have also been executed across the 63 smaller ghats so that local neighborhoods enjoy the same standard of cleanliness as flagship city venues.

To address the practical needs of elderly devotees, women observing the rigorous 36-hour waterless fast, and accompanying families, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation has stationed dedicated drinking water tankers and mobile toilet units across the ghats. Furthermore, on-site Control Rooms have been established at every ghat to supervise real-time sanitation, lighting, crowd flow, and emergency response throughout the four-day observance. Municipal officials confirmed that zonal supervisors and quick-response teams will remain stationed on duty from Friday afternoon through the conclusion of Usha Arghya on Monday morning.

Zero-Waste Chhath Initiative: Offering Urns to Protect the Gomti River

A defining highlight of Lucknow’s Chhath Puja 2026 preparations is the administration’s push to make the Mahaparva a model zero-waste festival. Recognizing that thousands of families bring flowers, clay lamps, sugarcane stalks, fruit peels, and organic offerings to the water’s edge, the Municipal Corporation has installed dedicated offering urns (Arpan Kalash) alongside color-coded dustbins at every single ghat. Rather than discarding leftover puja materials or biodegradable waste directly into the Gomti River or nearby ponds, devotees are being encouraged to deposit all sacred items respectfully inside these designated urns.

To reinforce this eco-conscious campaign, teams of sanitation workers have been deployed in shifts across all 110 locations to clear dustbins continuously and transport collected floral and organic offerings for scientific composting and proper disposal. Civic officials emphasized that pairing ancient nature worship with modern zero-waste discipline protects the ecological health of the Gomti River while preserving the sacred dignity of Chhath rituals.

Zone-Wise Guide to Major Chhath Puja Ghats in Lucknow

To help devotees and families across Lucknow plan their travel and identify the nearest riverfront venue, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation has designated flagship ghats across each of its eight administrative zones. In Zone-1, covering central Lucknow, major arrangements have been finalized at the iconic Laxman Mela Ghat—the city’s largest gathering point for Chhath Puja—as well as Lallumal Ghat. In Zone-2, devotees in western and old-city pockets will be accommodated at Lat Hanuman Mandir Ghat, where enhanced lighting and approach-road cleaning have been completed.

Across Zone-3, spanning the trans-Gomti belt, civic facilities are fully operational at Barrel No. 2 Ghat, Sanjhiya Ghat, and Jhulelal Ghat, while Zone-4 caters to residents of eastern Lucknow through major preparations at Gomti Nagar Extension. In Zone-5, serving southern industrial and residential corridors, special arrangements have been made at Scooter India and Gauri Bazaar ghats. Meanwhile, in Zone-6, historic riverfront landmarks Kudia Ghat and Mehndi Ghat have been decked up for traditional rituals, followed by Kukrail Ghat in Zone-7 and Sainik School Boating Club Ghat in Zone-8 serving northern and cantonment-adjacent neighborhoods.

Celebrating Chhath Mahaparva 2026 With Faith and Civic Responsibility

As Lucknow prepares to welcome Nahay Khay on November 13, Kharna on November 14, Sandhya Arghya on the evening of November 15, and Usha Arghya at sunrise on November 16, the coordination between civic authorities and local Chhath Puja committees reflects a shared commitment to public welfare. With 110 ghats illuminated, cleaned, and equipped with round-the-clock control rooms, mobile toilets, water tankers, and zero-waste offering urns, the state capital is poised for a peaceful and memorable festival. Municipal leaders have also appealed to citizens to cooperate with on-duty staff, use designated parking zones near busy venues like Laxman Mela Ground, and utilize the installed offering urns so that Lucknow’s Chhath Puja 2026 sets a benchmark for cleanliness and environmental care.