High Faecal Bacteria Found in River Water at Maha Kumbh Locations

Photo : AP

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was told on Monday by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) that some places in Prayagraj, where the Mahakumbh Mela is taking place, have water that is not safe for bathing due to high levels of faecal coliform.

Faecal coliform is a sign that the water is polluted with sewage. The CPCB says the water should not have more than 2,500 units of faecal coliform per 100 ml.

The NGT bench, which included Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Sudhir Agarwal, and Expert Member A Senthil Vel, was looking at the issue of sewage being discharged into the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Prayagraj.

The bench went over a report from the CPCB, which was dated February 3. The report pointed out that the river water quality did not meet the bathing standards because of high levels of faecal coliform at all the places that were checked during the event.

The report explained that a lot of people bathe in the river at Prayagraj during the Mahakumbh Mela, especially on special bathing days. This increases the amount of faecal contamination in the water.

The bench also mentioned that the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) had not followed the earlier order from the tribunal to send a full report on what they have done about the issue. Instead, the UPPCB only sent a letter with some water test reports.

When the tribunal checked the documents sent by UPPCB on January 28, 2025, they found that faecal and total coliform levels were still high at different spots in Prayagraj.

The tribunal has given the lawyer for the state of Uttar Pradesh one day to check the report and file a reply. The UPPCB Member Secretary and other state authorities in charge of keeping the Ganga river water safe in Prayagraj are asked to appear online at the next hearing on February 19.

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