On Kartik Purnima, 29 November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in his constituency Varanasi to preside over the Dev Deepavali festival at the ghats of Ganga river. Amid pomp and show, no one talked about the falling water quality of the river.

A report released by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) for the year 2020 has revealed that the Ganga at Varanasi, Kanpur, Mirzapur and Ghazipur stretches is highly polluted with an average fecal coliform bacteria being 12,000-13,000 MPN per 100 ml.

MPN is the most probable number used for the bacterial count. The report contains the data up to October. These fecal coliforms (FCs) levels were quite low during the lockdown at most places but have gone up once again, the statistics say.

Incidentally, Magh Mela is set to start which is held on the banks of Ganga in all major cities including Parayagraj, Varanasi and Kanpur when Hindus take a dip in the river, which is believed to be sacred. The 57-day annual fair will start with Makar Sankranti bathing on January 14 and conclude with Maha Shivratri bathing on March 11, 2021.

No permissible limits for Fecal bacteria

Ideally, there should be no fecal bacteria in the river. The presence of fecal coliforms, which come from the excreta of humans and animals, indicates that the untreated sewage water is being mixed in the river, experts say.

Such water is unsafe for drinking and bathing both and could expose people to a range of water-borne diseases.

Ironically, the CPCB or UPPCB have not set any permissible limits for FCs in river water.

Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, Head of the Electronics Department at IIT-BHU who has been working on Ganga water for a long, says, “The abundance of fecal coliforms, that usually come from humans and animals excreta, indicates that untreated sewage is being poured in the river Ganga. The government would not like to set the FCs limits as it would expose its own callousness.”

Prof Mishra, who is also the Mahant of the Varanasi’s Sankatmochan Temple, states, “Water with fecal matter is neither fit for bathing nor for achaman (ritual of drinking a small amount of water). The fresh report is in stark contrast with the chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s claims that the Ganga’s water is fit for achaman.”

Even the total coliforms (TC), another scientific parameter to measure water quality, in Ganga in all major cities in Uttar Pradesh is 4 to 40 times higher compared to the maximum permissible limit set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

CPCB stipulates the maximum limit of TC for outdoor bathing at 500 MPN/100 ml (MPN = most probable number).