PRAYAGRAJ, India (AP) — Hindus venerate rivers, and none more so than the Ganges. The faithful believe that a dip in its waters will cleanse them of their past sins.
Wherever other sacred rivers flow into the Ganges, the benefits of bathing at the confluence on auspicious days increases manyfold. A devotee can hope to begin a journey to achieve Hindu philosophy’s ultimate goal — the release from the cycles of birth and death.
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Sanitation workers walk to their work area on the banks of the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Police officials test a remote-controlled lifebuoy on the Ganges river, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers lay metal sheets to build a temporary road on the banks of the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Women make clay stoves to be sold to the devotees who will be staying on the banks of the Ganges river, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Stray dogs relax on a street next to a wall freshly painted as part of a beautification drive, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers tar a road in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers put up electric cables and install surveillance cameras on the banks of the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A Hindu holy man prays sitting next to an earthmover moving sand on the banks of the Ganges river, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, center, in saffron robe, inspects a control center of the municipal corporation in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Firefighters on motorcycles decorated with balloons ride through the town in a public relations exercise before the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers paint the railings of a bridge over the Ganges river, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers carry a slab of stone to be used for the beautification of a street in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers make a floating platform on the Ganges river from interlocking plastic cubes, right, next to a finished one supporting changing rooms for the VIPs, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers repair a boat next to a pile of interlocking plastic cubes meant for building a floating jetty on the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers build a mural in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers build replicas of the twelve Jyotirlingas, important temples spread across India dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, enclosed by a shape representing the map of India, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Portable toilets are kept on the banks of the Ganges river before installation, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers build pontoon bridges over the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers prepare to join a section of a pontoon bridge over the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A crew inspects overhead power cables meant for railway engines as others work on an overhead bridge in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers build a pontoon bridge over the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
An earthmover works on the banks of the Ganges river preparing the site for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Hindu holy men, or Sadhus, inspect a site for their camp on the banks of the Ganges river for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
The most propitious of these days occur in cycles of 12 years. When the time comes for Prayagraj, in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, millions flock to the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers during a festival called the Maha Kumbh Mela.
It has become the largest such gathering of humans anywhere on Earth.
In 2025, between Jan. 13 and Feb. 26, about 400 million people, more than the population of the United States, are expected to participate in the festival.
Planning for such an incredible number of pilgrims can be a logistics nightmare, but the local government has some experience.
It successfully organized a smaller version of the festival called Ardh Kumbh, or Half Kumbh, in 2019, when 240 million visitors were recorded, with about 50 million taking a ritual bath on the busiest day.
Planning for even larger numbers in 2025, the state government has formed the Maha Kumbh Mela area in Prayagraj into a separate administrative district for four months.
As the 2025 festival draws closer, construction of the temporary district is in full swing. Divided into 25 sections and spreading over 40 square kilometers (15 square miles), it will have housing, roads, electricity and water, communication towers and 11 hospitals.
Hundreds of workers and machines are crowding the river’s edge. Working around the clock, they are laying water and drainage pipes, building 30 pontoon bridges (up from 22 in 2019), and compacting sand dredged from the river to enlarge the banks along the 12-kilometer (7-mile) -long stretch where pilgrims will gather to bathe.
Scaffolding for tents, some of which will house as many as 25,000 pilgrims, is being erected.
About 20,000 workers are responsible for keeping the area and its more than 150,000 temporary toilets clean.
About 50,000 security personnel — a 50% increase from 2019 — are being trained in how to keep the festival safe.
“The mela can be a very stressful environment for the personnel, so we are teaching them stress management and training them in soft skills to interact better with the pilgrims,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Rajesh Diwedi, who is overseeing security operations.
More than 2,500 cameras, some powered by AI, will send crowd movement and density information to four central control rooms, where officials can quickly deploy personnel to avoid stampedes.
Many devotees will stay for more than a month, observing austerity, giving alms and bathing at sunrise every day.
Sanitation workers walk to their work area on the banks of the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Police officials test a remote-controlled lifebuoy on the Ganges river, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers lay metal sheets to build a temporary road on the banks of the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Women make clay stoves to be sold to the devotees who will be staying on the banks of the Ganges river, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Stray dogs relax on a street next to a wall freshly painted as part of a beautification drive, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers tar a road in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers put up electric cables and install surveillance cameras on the banks of the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A Hindu holy man prays sitting next to an earthmover moving sand on the banks of the Ganges river, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, center, in saffron robe, inspects a control center of the municipal corporation in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Firefighters on motorcycles decorated with balloons ride through the town in a public relations exercise before the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers paint the railings of a bridge over the Ganges river, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers carry a slab of stone to be used for the beautification of a street in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers make a floating platform on the Ganges river from interlocking plastic cubes, right, next to a finished one supporting changing rooms for the VIPs, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers repair a boat next to a pile of interlocking plastic cubes meant for building a floating jetty on the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers build a mural in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers build replicas of the twelve Jyotirlingas, important temples spread across India dedicated to Hindu god Shiva, enclosed by a shape representing the map of India, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Portable toilets are kept on the banks of the Ganges river before installation, in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers build pontoon bridges over the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers prepare to join a section of a pontoon bridge over the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
A crew inspects overhead power cables meant for railway engines as others work on an overhead bridge in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Workers build a pontoon bridge over the Ganges river in preparation for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
An earthmover works on the banks of the Ganges river preparing the site for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Hindu holy men, or Sadhus, inspect a site for their camp on the banks of the Ganges river for the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela, one of the world's largest religious festivals, in Prayagraj, India, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
DETROIT (AP) — President Donald Trump's tariffs on steel imports this week could wreak havoc on American auto manufacturing, industry leaders say. The moves align with the Trump administration's aggressive global trade agenda and ambitions to strengthen U.S. industry, but they could have an inverse effect.
On March 12, all steel imports will be taxed at a minimum of 25%, the result of two orders the president signed Monday that also include a 25% tariff on aluminum. That could have a serious impact on domestic auto companies including Ford, GM and Stellantis — and make these companies' vehicles more expensive for the nation's car buyers.
Tariffs on crucial products coming from outside of the U.S. places pressure on domestic sourcing of the materials, experts say. The basic rules of supply and demand could drive up costs.
“Steel producers have to find ways to increase capacity, and aluminum and steel might be in short supply in the short term,” said Sam Fiorani, analyst at AutoForecast Solutions, which studies the industry. “Producing vehicles has a lot of moving parts, and raising the price of what is among the most important components of the vehicle is only going to raise the price of an already expensive product.”
The average transaction price for a new vehicle in the U.S. in January was $48,641, according to auto-buying resource Kelley Blue Book — a hefty investment for an inflation-sensitive consumer.
“Tariffs such as these do nothing to enhance the automotive industry directly,” Fiorani said.
To Ford CEO Jim Farley, Trump's early actions in office — which also include 25% tariffs on goods coming from Mexico and Canada, although delayed by a month — are already challenging the Dearborn, Michigan, automaker.
The Trump administration has also upended electric vehicle policy put in place under former President Joe Biden, targeted EV charging infrastructure, as well as directed review of vehicle emissions and fuel economy rules — all of which could play a role in automaker plans to decarbonize. Already, auto companies have pulled back some electrification plans amid shifts in the market.
Most of the three automakers’ steel and aluminum already comes from North America, Ford included; CFO Sherry House noted Tuesday during a Wolfe Research conference that 90% of the company's steel comes from the U.S., and that aluminum is also not that competitive.
Still, Farley said Tuesday during the same conference that “So far what we’re seeing is a lot of cost, and a lot of chaos," according to a transcript of the event.
Farley said: “The reality is, though, our suppliers have international sources for aluminum steel. So that price will come through and it may be a speculative part in the market where price would come up because the tariffs are even rumored.”
A spokesperson for Ford deferred to Farley's comments when reached for additional comment. A spokesperson for Stellantis declined to comment.
A GM spokesperson deferred to CEO Mary Barra's comments from the Wolfe conference. Barra also said much of the steel and aluminum used in GM's U.S. vehicle production is sourced here and that the company did not expect any significant immediate impact.
“We’re concerned about the downstream effects on consumer products like automobiles,” said Glenn Stevens Jr., executive director of MichAuto, a state auto industry association. “The concern whenever you have a scenario like this, and I’m not an economist, but I follow this very closely, is that the short-term benefits of higher prices for steel and aluminum for domestic production are outweighed by a decrease in downstream effects.”
“The auto industry, it’s a very competitive business," he added. "You can’t change supply chains very quickly and you certainly can’t change manufacturing locations very quickly.”
Trump also placed tariffs on steel and aluminum in 2018 during his first stint in the White House. Automakers had to revise their financial plans for the year as their outlooks fell as a result, according to Fiorani.
“Industries like automotive have built their entire financial plan based on sourcing products where they can; locally, if it’s possible, globally, if it makes the most sense,” he added.
Erik Gordon, professor at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, said if automakers can't raise prices, they'll lose profits.
“The tradeoff is that car buyers might pay more or car manufacturers might make less, in return for more jobs in the U.S. steel industry and less dependence on non-U.S. steel companies.”
Associated Press reporter Isabella Volmert contributed to this report from Lansing, Mich.
Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.
Read more of AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
FILE - An employee works on the production line at the Martinrea auto parts manufacturing plant that supplies auto parts to Canada and U.S. plants, in Woodbridge, Ontario, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FILE - An employee works on the production line at the Martinrea auto parts manufacturing plant that supplies auto parts to Canada and U.S. plants, in Woodbridge, Ontario, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP, File)