Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 19: Even as the National Green Tribunal on Wednesday rapped the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and the Uttar Pradesh government for not submitting adequate details on faecal coliform and other water quality parameters, such as oxygen levels, in the river Ganga in Prayagraj, the UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath attempted to contradict the report of the Central Pollution Control Board claiming that the water quality at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati in Prayagraj was “fit” not only for bathing but also for drinking.
Yogi Adityanath has refuted the report that said faecal bacteria present in water at many places at the Maha Kumbh did not meet the criteria of water fit for bathing. He said the water at the Sangam was “fit for drinking,” where crores of people have taken holy dips at the Maha Kumbh.
He explained, “Misinformation is being spread that Kumbh water quality is deteriorating. Kumbh water is absolutely fine to take a dip. The UP pollution control board is continuously monitoring the cleanliness of the water. All imminent leaders from the country and the world have taken the dip in Maha Kumbh. It is santushtikaran, not tushtikaran taking a dip in Kumbh.”
“Questions are being raised about the quality of the water [at Triveni]… All the pipes and the drains in and around Sangam have been taped and the water is being released only after purification… The UP Pollution Control Board is continuously monitoring the water to maintain its quality… As per today’s reports, the amount of BOD near Sangam is less than three, and the Dissolved Oxygen is around 8-9,” Yogi Adityanath said.
“This means that the Sangam is water is suitable not just for bathing but also for ‘Aachman’… The reasons for increased faecal coliform can be several, such as sewage leakage and animal waste, but the amount of faecal coliform in Prayagraj is, as per the standards, less than 2,500 MPN per 100 ml… This means that the false campaign is only to defame the Maha Kumbh… The NGT has also said that the faecal waste was less than 2000 MPN per 100 ml…,” CM Adityanath claimed.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday said high levels of faecal and total coliform were found at various locations at the Maha Kumbh, during a hearing on allegations that untreated sewage has been discharged into Rivers Ganga and Yamuna in Prayagraj.
The report was submitted to the NGT by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which said the results of water quality monitoring on January 12 and 13 found the water was not fit even for bathing, let alone drinking. The significant number of people bathing in the river at Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh, especially on auspicious bathing days, led to an increase in faecal concentration, the report said.
Yogi Adityanath, addressing the UP assembly, also condemned people who spread misinformation against “Sanatana Dharma, Maa Ganga, and India.” “While we are participating in the discussion here, more than 56.25 crore devotees have already taken their holy dip in Prayagraj… When we make baseless allegations or spread fake videos against Sanatana Dharma, Maa Ganga, India, or the Maha Kumbh, it is like playing with the faith of these 56 crore people,” the chief minister said.
“… But how appropriate is it to politicise this? They (Opposition) have been against the Maha Kumbh since day 1… In the last session, the discussions and preparations for the Maha Kumbh were underway… We would have discussed the plans and taken your suggestions, but you did not let the house run,” the chief minister said.
“The national president of the Samajwadi Party asked what was the need to spend money on the Maha Kumbh… The social media handles of the Samajwadi Party used language which any civilised society would not use… Lalu Yadav called the Kumbh ‘faaltu’. Another partner of the SP [Samajwadi Party] said the Maha Kumbh has become the ‘Mrityu Kumbh’… If organising events related to Sanatana Dharma is a crime, then our government will keep committing that crime,” Yogi Adityanath said, alluding to remarks by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that the Maha Kumbh has become “Mrityu Kumbh.”
But the NGT was not amused by the chief minister’s claims. It granted the state government a week to place on record the latest water quality analysis reports from different points of the river at the Maha Kumbh Mela site in Prayagraj. A bench of NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, judicial member Sudhir Agarwal, and expert member A Senthi Vel were hearing the matter on the compliance of a December order, wherein it had directed the UP government and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to ensure that water quality in rivers Ganga and Yamuna was fit to drink and bathe in during the Kumbh.
On Monday, in compliance with the December order, the CPCB submitted a report which showed that faecal coliform and biochemical oxygen demand levels did not meet the bathing criteria during monitoring carried out in the second week of January. The NGT bench took the CPCB’s report on record on Monday and noted that the UPPCB did not file an action taken report in compliance with its December 23 order.
On Wednesday, the UPPCB said it had filed a compliance report, but it also sought details from the CPCB on the exact locations from where they collected water samples. This prompted the bench to ask whether they were disputing the CPCB’s report. However, the bench also asked the CPCB counsel to provide the details of the points from where water samples were collected as well as the lab test reports.
The bench also noted that the UPPCB’s compliance report on water quality did not include details on biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen, and faecal coliform. It directed the UPPCB to file the latest reports, including those up until February 18. The Additional Advocate General of UP, Garima Prashad, submitted that the UPPCB will examine the disclosures made in CPCB’s report and appropriate action will be taken to improve water quality.
The CPCB report on water quality in the Ganga at Kumbh had said, “River water quality was not conforming with the primary water quality for bathing with respect to faecal coliform at all the monitored locations on various occasions. A huge number of people (are) taking a bath at Prayagraj during Maha Kumbh Mela in the river, including auspicious bathing days, which eventually leads to an increase in faecal concentration.”
The NGT’s December 23 order was passed while disposing of a petition, which raised grievances about the discharge of untreated sewage from drains into the Ganga in Prayagraj. Faecal coliform bacteria are found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals and humans. They are commonly used as indicators of potential contamination in water, as their presence suggests that the water may also contain harmful pathogens, such as viruses, parasites, or other bacteria, that originate from faecal matter or stool that is excreted from the intestines of animals and humans.
