Ganga water fit for bathing during Maha Kumbh: Bhupender Yadav

New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the water in the Ganga at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj was fit for bathing during the recently concluded Maha Kumbh.

Citing, a new report from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in Parliament the Minister said the government had provided a total of Rs 7,421 crore to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for cleaning the river in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 (until March 9)

In response to a question from Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadauria and Congress MP K Sudhakaran, Yadav said that according to the CPCB report, the median values of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and faecal coliform (FC) at all monitored locations were within the permissible limits for bathing.

DO refers to the amount of oxygen in water, BOD measures the oxygen needed to break down organic matter and FC is an indicator of sewage contamination. These are key indicators of water quality.

On February 3, the CPCB had informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that water at several locations in Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh did not meet the primary bathing water quality standard due to high faecal coliform levels.

However, in a new report submitted to the tribunal on February 28, the CPCB said statistical analysis showed that the water quality during the Maha Kumbh was fit for bathing.

The CPCB submitted its initial monitoring report to the NGT on February 3, which included water quality data collected between January 12 and 26, 2025.

Yadav also listed a number of initiatives taken by the UP government to maintain water quality in the Ganga during Kumbh.

These include 10 STPs installed to treat wastewater; seven geotubes installed as interim remedial measure for waste water treatment of 21 untapped drains; three pre-fabricated temporary STPs installed, each with capacity of 500 KLD in the Mela area; three fecal sludge treatment plants (FSTPs) with total capacity 200KLD.