NEW DELHI: The Sangam waters where millions of devotees have been taking a holy dip every day during the ongoing Maha Kumbh has been found to be contaminated with alarming levels of faecal and total coliform, prompting National Green Tribunal (NGT) to summon UP govt authorities.
A quality assessment report submitted to NGT by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Feb 3 said the coliform levels – a key indicator of the presence of untreated sewage and human and animal excreta – were found to be 1,400 times the standards in the Ganga and 660 times in the Yamuna at some stretches on a particular day, making the river waters unfit for bathing.
According to CPCB standards, for organised outdoor bathing, the total coliform levels must not exceed 500 MPN (Most Probable Number) per 100ml. However, CPCB found that by Jan 19, total coliform levels had reached a whopping 700,000 MPN/100ml in the Ganga and 330,000 MPN/100ml in the Yamuna. It analysed the samples on Jan 12, 13, 14, 15 and 19, and the total coliform levels never met standards.
CPCB findings not only indicated non-compliance with NGT’s earlier directive to maintain critical water quality standards, but also raised concerns over public health and environmental sustainability, the tribunal’s principal bench, headed by its chairperson Justice Prakash Shirvastava, noted during a hearing on Feb 17.
The high levels of faecal bacteria in the waters pose significant risks of waterborne diseases, while excessive organic pollution threatens aquatic life and overall river health.
Pointing out that UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) had not filed any comprehensive action taken report, as directed by tribunal in Dec last year, the bench ordered the board’s member secretary and the state authority responsible for maintaining water quality in river Ganga at Prayagraj to appear before it virtually during the next hearing on Feb 19.
NGT had in Dec asked CPCB and UPPCB to monitor and report the water quality regularly, while also ensuring that untreated sewage did not flow into the two rivers so that the pilgrims who came for a holy bath did not suffer. It directed the agencies to analyse water samples from the rivers at least twice a week at regular intervals.
In compliance, CPCB submitted its report, which said river water quality did not conform to the bathing criteria at all the monitored locations on various occasions.