Kumar Bahukhandi
Crowd at Sangam during Maha Kumbh. – Photo: Prime Look
The central government on Monday presented a new report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in Parliament. The government said that according to the report, the water of Ganga at Triveni Sangam was fit for bathing even during the Maha Kumbh held in Prayagraj. It also informed that a total of Rs 7,421 crore has been given in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 under the National Clean Ganga Mission for cleaning the Ganga.
Amid the controversy over the quality of the water of the Ganga river, the Central Government on Monday presented a new report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in Parliament. The government said that according to the report, the water of the Ganga at the Triveni Sangam was fit for bathing even during the Maha Kumbh held in Prayagraj. The government also informed that a total of Rs 7,421 crore has been given in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 under the National Clean Ganga Mission for cleaning the Ganga river.
Responding to a question by Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadoria and Congress MP K Sudhakaran in the Lok Sabha, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said that according to the report of the Pollution Control Board, the average values of all elements like pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and fecal coliform (FC) in the water of the Ganga river were within the limits suitable for bathing.
He said the CPCB monitored water quality twice a week at seven locations, from Shringaverpur Ghat to Dihaghat, including Sangam Nose (where the Ganga and Yamuna meet). The monitoring began on January 12 and included the days of Amrit Snan. The CPCB had submitted its preliminary monitoring report to the NGT on February 3. It included water quality data collected between January 12 and 26, 2025.
The Union minister said the report also included monitoring data from 10 sewage treatment plants (STPs) and seven geosynthetic dewatering tubes (geo-tubes) installed in Prayagraj. Later, the CPCB increased the number of monitoring locations to 10 and started testing twice a day from February 21 to improve the availability of water quality data.
He said the Uttar Pradesh government set up 10 STPs for treating dirty water for the Maha Kumbh. Also, seven geo-tubes were installed as a temporary solution for treating wastewater from 21 unused drains. Three prefabricated temporary STPs with a capacity of 500 kilolitres per day (KLD) and three sewage sludge treatment plants with a total capacity of 200 KLD were installed in the fair area.
Yadav said that Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam has used advanced oxidation technology to treat wastewater and prevent untreated water from entering the Ganga. Sufficient number of toilets and urinals have been built in the fair area for the convenience of a large number of devotees. Dustbins with liner bags were also placed for disposal of garbage.
CPCB had submitted the report on February 3
CPCB had prepared a report on the actual condition of Ganga in Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh. In its report submitted to NGT on February 3, CPCB had said that the water of Sangam is not suitable for bathing during Maha Kumbh. The team had found non-compliance with the norms set for fecal coliform 230 MPN/100 mg.
After this, in a new report submitted to the NGT on February 28, the Central Pollution Control Board had said that statistical analysis showed that the water quality during the Maha Kumbh was fit for bathing. The report said that there was a variation in the data of samples collected from the same place on different dates and from different places on a day. These do not reveal the overall water quality of the river. The NGT had directed on December 23 that the water quality of Ganga and Yamuna should be monitored at regular intervals during the Maha Kumbh.
