Pollution Control Board Says Water of Ganga Water Unfit For Drinking, Bathing

The water from River Ganga is absolutely not fit for "direct drinking" and there are only seven spots from where it passes that can be consumed after disinfection, said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

According to the latest data with the CPCB, most of the Ganga River water in the Uttar Pradesh-West Bengal stretch is unfit for drinking and bathing. There are high levels of coliform bacteria seen in the river in the map released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Out of 86 live monitoring stations installed in as many locations, only seven areas have been found to be fit for drinking after disinfection process while 78 have been found unfit.

The collection of data is done by live monitoring stations present in the Ganga basin across the country. This data is to check the quality of the Ganga water. In India, number of people flock to take a dip in the Ganga, the river considered as the lifeline of India. Its water is so polluted that it is unfit for bathing, let alone drinking, says the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Out of all, there are only 18 spots that have been found fit for bathing, on the other hand 62 areas from where it flows have been found not fit. Some stretches in Uttarakhand and two spots in West Bengal are marked in green indicating water can be consumed after disinfection while the rest of the river water is unfit for drinking or bathing the whole way till it drains into the Bay of Bengal.

There were around 78 monitoring stations at which the river water was found unfit for bathing and drinking, which include the Gomati river in Bhusaula-Bihar, Kanpur, Dalmau in Raebareli, Sangam in Allahabad, Gola Ghat in Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, Ghazipur, Buxar, Howrah-Shivpur in West Bengal and more.

The six spots which were found fit for consumption under class A- fit for drinking after disinfection- are Bhagirathi at Gangotri, Rudraprayag, Devprayag, Raiwala- Uttarakhand, Rishikesh, Bijnor and Diamond Harbour in West Bengal.

The areas found fit for bathing under class B in river Ganga include - Bhagirathi at Gangotri, Rudraprayag, Devprayag, Raiwala- Uttarakhand, Gharmukhteshwar, Rishikesh, Bijnor, Aligarh and others, including four spots in West Bengal.

Even after several plans in place to clean the river and directions of the National Green Tribunal to tackle river pollution, the reality seems far-fetched.

By: Preeti Narula

Content: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/ganga-river-water-unfit-for-direct-drinking-bathing-central-pollution-control-board-2045187