45 crore devotees and tourists from 100 countries including India will visit the Maha Kumbh to be held in Prayagraj from 13 January to 26 February, 2025.

Officials said their biggest challenge, besides crowd management, is water channelisation due to the delayed rainfall this year and the higher-than-normal levels of the Ganga.

While IIT Kanpur has been roped in to help with crowd management and security plans, experts from IIT Guwahati are helping with channelising and controlling the river flow.