Situated 1260 metres above the sea level in an ecologically sensitive spot in the Western Ghats slopes, the hillshrine was visited by about 30 million pilgrims last year.The authorities expect a 20 per cent increase this season, making it more challenging to maintain the event smooth and protect the environs from the strains caused by human influx.

In right earnest, the government and the Travnacore Devaswom Board (TDB) that manages the temple have strictly banned use of plastic at the temple complex atop the hillock and the base camp on the banks of river Pampa.

Tons of plastic bags, pet bottles, food packets and softdrink cans thrown into the forests bordering trekking path and on the Pampa sandbanks have been a major polluting source not only in and around Sabarimala but even in distant farmlands, canals and backwaters to where the river flows down.

On the eve of the season, Local Administration Department in Kerala had issued strict warning that stern action, including cancellation of their licenses, would be taken against shopkeepers violating the plastic ban in the area.
The pilgrims, however, would be allowed to carry water bottles, which they should take back while returning.

For crowd-management and traffic-control, the state police would be deploying 1,500 to 3,000 personnel in different phases of the season, which would be monitored by higher officials under an Additional Director General of Police.

More watch towers, scanners, barricades and pickets will be set up this year for security of the shrine. The TDB has also planned to set up an advanced security and surveillance system that could scan a wider area from next year.

The first leg of the pilgrimage, the 41-day Mandalpooja, would culminate on December 27, which would be followed by the Makaravilakku with Makarasamkranthi on January 14, marking the finale of the season.

Considering the importance of the event that has emerged as one of world’s biggest pilgrimages, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan yesterday held a high level meeting of ministers and officials at Pampa where arrangements for traffic-control, transport services, medical facilities, water supply and sanitation were reviewed.

The ongoing work-to-rule strike by government doctors is likely to create some problems for healthcare.
According to Health Minister P K Sreemathy, adequate number of doctors and paramedics would be roped in from medical colleges and private and co-operative hospitals.

The government doctors are on strike for the last one month demanding payscale revision.

While people of all religions could visit Sabarimala, women in the 10-50 age group are not allowed to trek the hill and worship at the shrine.