LUCKNOW: Days after NGT flagged the high faecal coliform levels in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Prayagraj during the ongoing Maha Kumbh, UP CM Yogi Adityanath asserted in the assembly on Wednesday that the water at the Sangam was fit for both “snan” (bathing) and “aachman” (ritual drinking).
Replying to a discussion on the Maha Kumbh, the CM maintained that the pollution parameters like dissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) were within permissible limits.
Referring to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report submitted to NGT about the faecal concentration in the Sangam waters, making it unfit for drinking or bathing, the CM said: “All the pipes and drains in and around Sangam have been taped and the water is being released only after purification. The UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) is continuously monitoring the water to maintain its quality.”
“As many as 81 culverts carrying over 280 MLD (million litres per day) of sewage into river Ganga were taped and treated at sewage treatment plants (STP),” he added.
The CM maintained that the samples taken by UPPCB from various spots on different dates between Jan 12 and Feb 13 showed the presence of fecal coliform was within the safe limits of 2,500 MPN per 100 ml. “As per today’s reports, the amount of BOD near Sangam is less than 3 (milligrams per litre), and the dissolved oxygen is around 8-9,” he said.
This meant the Sangam water was suitable not just for bathing but also for drinking, he asserted. “The CPCB has also confirmed this in its report,” he added.
Yogi alleged that “the false campaign is only to defame the Maha Kumbh”. Training his guns at Samajwadi Party, he said the condition of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers was so poor when it was in office that the PM of Mauritius had refused to take a dip during the 2013 Kumbh.