The central government on Monday cited a new report from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in Parliament and said the water in the Ganga at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj was fit for bathing during the recently concluded Maha Kumbh.
Triveni Sangam is where the Ganga meets the Yamuna and Saraswati rivers.
The government also said it 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, Union Environment Minister Bhupender 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.
In a report dated 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 report said that the statistical analysis was necessary due to the 'variability of data' in samples collected from the same locations on different dates and even from different spots on the same day.
This variability meant the samples did not fully reflect the 'overall river water quality throughout the river stretch', it said.
In the case of 'Kamlesh Singh vs State of Uttar Pradesh & Others', the NGT had on December 23, 2024 directed that water quality monitoring of the Ganga and Yamuna should be conducted regularly at frequent intervals during the Maha Kumbh to ensure compliance with primary water quality criteria.
Yadav said that in response to this order, the CPCB carried out water quality monitoring at seven locations twice a week, from Shringverpur Ghat (upstream of Prayagraj) to Deehaghat (downstream), including at Sangam nose (where the Ganga and the Yamuna meet).
Monitoring began on January 12 and covered auspicious bathing (Amrit Snan) days.
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.
The report also included monitoring data from 10 sewage treatment plants (STPs) installed in Prayagraj and seven geosynthetic dewatering tubes (geo-tubes) used for filtration, Yadav said.
Later, the CPCB increased the number of monitoring locations to 10 and began testing twice daily from February 21 to improve water quality data availability.
The minister said the Uttar Pradesh government installed 10 STPs for the Maha Kumbh to treat wastewater, ensuring that effluents met environmental standards before being released.
Also, seven geo-tubes were installed as a temporary solution to treat wastewater from 21 untapped drains.
Three prefabricated temporary STPs, each with a capacity of 500 kilolitres per day (KLD) and three faecal sludge treatment plants with a total capacity of 200 KLD were installed in the mela area.
Yadav said the UP Jal Nigam used advanced oxidation techniques to treat wastewater and prevent untreated water from entering the Ganga.
A sufficient number of toilets and urinals were set up across the mela area to accommodate the large number of pilgrims. Dustbins with liner bags were also placed strategically for waste disposal, he said.
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