NEW DELHI: With lakhs of pilgrims expected to reach Allahabad for Ardh Kumbh, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has asked the Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh governments to ensure that heavily polluting industries do not discharge effluents into the Ganga.
The CPCB said that the discharge of partially treated and untreated effluents is a significant source of pollution and impacts the colour of the water in the river, thereby making the water unfit for bathing. The central pollution monitoring body, exercising the powers conferred to it under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, directed both the state governments to take corrective measures and asked the authorities concerned to ensure that it’s a pollution-free Ardh Kumbh.
“There will be no discharge of effluents into the Ganga and its tributaries from grossly polluting units — distillery, sugar, pulp and paper and textile during the mela. The UP and Uttarakhand state pollution control boards shall ensure the weekly monitoring of drains and sewage treatment plants in the area and upload data on the web,” said the CPCB order.
The state pollution control boards have also been asked to inspect grossly polluting industries on a weekly basis for a compliance check. “They should also enforce measures for pollution control so that water quality can be maintained for bathing,” it added.
Ardh Kumbh Mela, a six-yearly ritual, is scheduled to be held in Allahabad from January 15-March 5, 2019. Pilgrims and saints from various Akhadas attend the fair on the banks of the Sangam— the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.The 2019 mela is expected to be attended by 12 crore people.The Kumbh Mela, believed to be the largest religious gathering on earth is held every 12 years, and Ardh Kumbh every six years.