Mahakumbh 2025: Ganga Water Purity Debate, Pollution Board’s Claims & Health Risks

Mahakumbh 2025: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has summoned Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) officials to appear virtually before the Tribunal for failing to submit the ‘action taken report (ATR)’ on improving the water quality in Prayagraj for Mahakumbh-2025.

Notably, the NGT principal bench had directed both the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the UPPCB on December 24, 2024, to take water samples, display the result on their website, and send the report to the NGT registrar general on January 31 and February 28.

It granted the state government a week to place on record the latest water quality analysis reports from different points of the river at the Maha Kumbh Mela site in Prayagraj.

A bench of NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, judicial member Sudhir Agarwal, and expert member A Senthi Vel were hearing the matter on the compliance of a December order, wherein it had directed the UP government and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to ensure that water quality in rivers Ganga and Yamuna was fit to drink and bathe in during the Kumbh.

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Referring to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report submitted to NGT about the fecal concentration in the Sangam waters, making it unfit for drinking or bathing, the CM said: "All the pipes and drains in and around Sangam have been taped and the water is being released only after purification. The UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) is continuously monitoring the water to maintain its quality."

"As many as 81 culverts carrying over 280 MLD (million liters per day) of sewage into river Ganga were taped and treated at sewage treatment plants (STP)," he added.

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The CM maintained that the samples taken by UPCB from various spots on different dates between Jan 12 and Feb 13 showed the presence of fecal coliform within the safe limits of 2,500 MPN per 100 ml. "As per today's reports, the amount of BOD near Sangam is less than 3 (milligrams per liter), and the dissolved oxygen is around 8-9," he said.

This meant the Sangam water was suitable not just for bathing but also for drinking, he asserted. "The CPCB has also confirmed this in its report," he added.

Yogi alleged that "the false campaign is only to defame the Maha Kumbh". Training his guns at Samajwadi Party, he said the condition of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers was so poor when it was in office that the PM of Mauritius had refused to take a dip during the 2013 Kumbh.

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