NGT slams UP govt over polluted Ganga; Yogi says water clean enough to consume
NEW DELHI/ LUCKNOW: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday slammed the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and the state government for failing to provide crucial data on faecal coliform levels and other water quality parameters of the Ganga and Yamuna in Prayagraj.
Expressing concern over lapses in sewage management, the NGT bench led by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, along with judicial member Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthi Vel, directed the state to submit comprehensive water quality reports within a week.
The CPCB’s findings had highlighted alarming deficiencies in water quality, raising various concerns amid the ongoing mela in Prayagraj.
The UPPCB informed the bench that it had submitted a compliance report but also sought specific details from the CPCB regarding the exact locations of collected water samples. This led the bench to question whether the board was disputing the CPCB’s findings.
In response, the tribunal directed the CPCB to submit the precise sample collection points and laboratory test reports for transparency. However, the tribunal expressed dissatisfaction with the UPPCB’s compliance report, noting that it lacked essential parameters.
Refuting the reports of CPCB, UP CM Yogi Adityanath claimed that the water at the Sangam is not only fit for drinking but also for 'achman'.
The UP CM said the report was an effort to "malign the Mahakumbh" during a discussion on the Mela under Rule 56 at the state assembly on Wednesday, the second day of the state budget session.
The CM alleged that 'fake videos' against Sanatan Dharma, 'Maa Ganga', India and the Mahakumbh have been circulated to mock the congregation.
"It is like playing with the faith of the crores who have taken a holy dip at the ongoing Mela in Prayagraj," he added.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had summoned the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) authorities on Wednesday for failing to submit the ‘action taken report (ATR)’ on improving the water quality.
The principal bench of NGT comprising Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Judicial Member Sudhir Agarwal, and Expert Member A Senthi Vel, was hearing the matter on the compliance of its December 24, 2024 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 Mahakumbh.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Monday had informed the NGT that various locations in Prayagraj during the ongoing Mahakumbh were not conforming to the parameters of primary water quality for bathing concerning the level of faecal coliform.
In response, the UPPCB, while tendering an unconditional apology for delay in submitting the ATR, submitted a 549-page report to the principal bench of the NGT.
The state pollution control board mentioned in its report that the Prayagraj-based executive engineer of UP, Jal Nigam (urban), informed in a letter dated February 15 that till date all the sludge was being accumulated in the geo-tubes only and it would be extracted only when the geo-tubes would be fully filled.
The report also claimed that as per the analysis of reports of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and geo-tubes, the parameters were found to be conforming the permissible norms of water purity.
It further said that the water quality monitoring data of dissolved oxygen (DO), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), faecal coliform indicated that water quality of both Ganga and Yamuna in Prayagraj was achieving the primary water quality criteria except Shastri bridge which indicated an increase on BOD and Faecal coliform.