Faecal contamination in Ganga and Yamuna raises health concerns during Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj | Representational Image
The focal point of river Ganga, especially at Prayagraj, has been the Maha Kumbh, which has seen a whopping 50 million people bathe to absolve themselves of sins and pray for salvation from the cycle of life and death. Instead, the faecal matter should have been the focus. The worrying level of faecal matter was not flagged off by environmentalists and international organisations, as the ruling government tends to dismiss; it came from an order issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the country’s environmental watchdog. This should worry everyone who has taken a dip there or intends to wash off their sins; more filth and muck will probably stick to their bodies if not souls.
The NGT order also covered the Yamuna, which has shown its worst self as it flows through various areas of Delhi and surrounding areas. Previous studies have shown how much cleaner it is before it touches the city and alarmingly polluted as it leaves the city. Despite many announcements, some more grandiose than the others like Namami Gange, to clean these two important rivers of India and restore them to their glory, there has been little to no improvement in their cleanliness levels and health. The Kumbh Mela has undoubtedly put additional pressure.
The NGT was hearing a plea that alleged that untreated sewage was discharged into the Ganga and Yamuna with specific reference to the Kumbh Mela. This, more than the large numbers who took a dip or celebrities who visited, should have occupied the attention of the Uttar Pradesh government, but Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his cabinet seem blissfully unconcerned.
The NGT relied on a report of the Central Pollution Control Board, which pointed out that the “river water quality was not conforming with the primary water quality for bathing with respect to Faecal Coliform (FC) at all the monitored locations on various occasions.”
The NGT also rapped the state government and the UP Pollution Control Board for not submitting details on faecal coliform and other quality parameters of the water at Prayagraj. There is no nicer way to say this than to point out that in its haste to pull off a spectacle, it has played with the health of millions.
Organising an event that brings millions to a place is not an easy task at all, and well-known architect Rahul Mehrotra has shown how the Kumbh Mela is akin to setting up an entire city and dismantling it, but the Yogi government has to take minimum responsibility. The buck stops at its door.
