Water%20of%20the%20river%20Ganga%2C%20which%20has%20the%20unique%20self-%20purifying%20quality%20because%20of%20its%20oxygen%20level%20being%20higher%20than%20any%20other%20river%20in%20the%20world%2C%20is%20not%20fit%20for%20drinking%20in%20Prayagraj%2C%20the%20UP%20Pollution%20Control%20Board%20%28UPPCB%29%20recently%20told%20the%20Allahabad%20High%20Court.%26nbsp%3B
In%20an%20affidavit%2C%20the%20state%20Pollution%20Control%20Board%20said%20that%20the%20Ganga%20water%20in%20Prayagraj%20is%20not%20potable%20but%20is%20fit%20for%20bathing%20as%2017%20drains%20carrying%20sewage%20water%20fall%20into%20it%20and%2025%20into%20the%20Yamuna.%26nbsp%3B
%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/high-ammonia-levels-in-yamuna-ngt-panel-asks-cpcb-to-identify-point-sources-of-pollution-1%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EHigh%20ammonia%20levels%20in%20Yamuna%3A%20NGT%20panel%20asks%20CPCB%20to%20identify%20%27point%20sources%27%20of%20pollution%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E
The%20UPPCB%u2019s%20submission%20was%20made%20in%20a%20suo%20motu%20case%20registered%20by%20the%20High%20Court%20in%202006%20for%20the%20rivers%u2019%20rejuvenation.%20An%20intervention%20claiming%20that%20the%20waters%20of%20the%20two%20rivers%20had%20deteriorated%20was%20recently%20filed%20by%20Advocate%20Tripti%20Verma.%26nbsp%3B
Verma%20informed%20the%20court%20that%20during%20her%20visit%20to%20Prayagraj%20for%20a%20Magh%20Mela%20event%20at%20the%20banks%20of%20Ganga%20and%20Yamuna%20she%20found%20the%20water%20to%20have%20turned%20blackish%20and%20was%20stinking.%20She%20also%20said%20that%20sadhus%20and%20Kalpwasis%20who%20had%20assembled%20there%20were%20drinking%20RO%20water.%20This%20intervention%20led%20to%20the%20case%20being%20listed%20in%20the%20third%20week%20of%20January%2C%202021%20and%20was%20taken%20up%20for%20hearing%20by%20a%20Bench%20of%20Justices%20Manoj%20Kumar%20Gupta%2C%20Siddhartha%20Varma%20and%20Ajit%20Kumar%20on%20January%2028.%26nbsp%3B
Amicus%20curiae%20AK%20Gupta%20informed%20the%20court%20that%20untreated%20water%20from%20drains%20was%20directly%20flowing%20into%20the%20two%20rivers%20as%20several%20drains%20were%20still%20untapped.%20This%20was%20despite%20several%20directions%20of%20the%20court%20to%20connect%20all%20drains%20with%20Sewage%20Treatment%20Plants%20%28STP%29.%26nbsp%3B%20Because%20of%20the%20drains%20falling%20directly%2C%20water%20of%20both%20the%20Ganga%20and%20Yamuna%20had%20changed%20colour.
%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/thousands-receive-holy-water-to-take-part-in-virtual-gangasagar-mela-rituals%22%3E%3Cstrong%3EThousands%20receive%20holy%20water%20to%20take%20part%20in%20virtual%20Gangasagar%20Mela%20rituals%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E
This%20was%20contested%20by%20the%20district%20magistrate%20of%20Prayagraj%20who%20submitted%20that%20all%20STPs%20were%20functional%20and%20the%20discharge%20parameters%20were%20within%20range%20set%20by%20the%20Central%20government.%26nbsp%3B
The%20Prayagraj%20municipal%20commissioner%20told%20the%20court%20that%20three%20private%20agencies%20had%20been%20engaged%20for%20treating%20drain%20water%20through%20bio-remediation.%20Besides%2C%20National%20Environmental%20Engineering%20Research%20Institute%20%28NEERI%29%20was%20treating%20six%20drains.
These%20submissions%20were%20disputed%20by%20the%20amicus%20who%20said%20that%20the%20information%20given%20by%20the%20authorities%20was%20incorrect%20and%20asked%20the%20court%20for%20time%20to%20submit%20photographs%20and%20other%20evidence%20to%20prove%20that%20untreated%20discharge%20from%20drains%20was%20still%20flowing%20into%20the%20two%20rivers.%20The%20court%20allowed%20the%20petitioner%20to%20produce%20the%20evidence.%26nbsp%3B
%3Cstrong%3EAlso%20Read%20%7C%3C/strong%3E%20%3Ca%20target%3D%22_blank%22%20rel%3D%22noopener%20noreferrer%22%20href%3D%22https%3A//opoyi.com/1984-riots-investigation-nears-end-in-kanpur-sit-to-record-statements%22%3E%3Cstrong%3E1984%20riots%20investigation%20nears%20end%20in%20Kanpur%2C%20SIT%20to%20record%20statements%3C/strong%3E%3C/a%3E
Secretary%20of%20the%20UP%20Pollution%20Control%20Board%2C%20whose%20reply%20was%20accompanied%20by%20a%20report%20on%20water%20quality%20analysis%2C%20told%20this%20writer%20that%20fecal%20coliform%20bacteria%20levels%20were%20high%20but%20the%20water%20can%20be%20made%20drinkable%20using%20reverse%20osmosis%20%28RO%29.%20He%20said%20that%20bio-remediation%20of%20the%20drains%20falling%20into%20the%20rivers%20was%20going%20on.%26nbsp%3B
Professor%20BD%20Tripathi%20of%20Banaras%20Hindu%20University%2C%20who%20pioneered%20research%20on%20Ganga%20pollution%2C%20said%20that%20before%20declaring%20a%20river%20polluted%20one%20has%20to%20see%20from%20where%20the%20water%20sample%20is%20collected.%20If%20it%20is%20closer%20to%20a%20drain%20the%20pollution%20level%20is%20bound%20to%20be%20high.%26nbsp%3B
However%2C%20in%20a%20report%20submitted%20to%20the%20National%20Green%20Tribunal%20in%20September%20last%20year%2C%20the%20Central%20Pollution%20Control%20Board%20said%20that%20the%20water%20quality%20in%20Ganga%20had%20not%20improved%20during%20the%20lockdown%20due%20to%20reduced%20compliance%20to%20the%20criteria%20limits%20from%2064.6%25%20to%2046.2%25.%26nbsp%3B
This%2C%20the%20report%20said%2C%20may%20be%20attributed%20to%20discharge%20of%20untreated%20or%20partially%20treated%20sewage.%20The%20report%20did%20not%20mention%20the%20sites%20from%20where%20samples%20were%20collected.%26nbsp%3B
%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23UttarPradesh%22%20data-user-id%3D%228fpxFfZw7Hfa%22%20href%3D%22/topic/uttar-pradesh%22%3E%23UttarPradesh%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Ganga%22%20data-user-id%3D%227Sm4mjkpyDbT%22%20href%3D%22/topic/ganga%22%3E%23Ganga%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23AllahabadHighCourt%22%20data-user-id%3D%22Fno9suk6c5cp%22%20href%3D%22/topic/allahabad-high-court%22%3E%23AllahabadHighCourt%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Pollution%22%20data-user-id%3D%223IaN93eBoVu7%22%20href%3D%22/topic/pollution%22%3E%23Pollution%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23Yamuna%22%20data-user-id%3D%22zGroPbZfWRK3%22%20href%3D%22/topic/yamuna%22%3E%23Yamuna%3C/a%3E%20%3Ca%20class%3D%22mention%22%20data-mention%3D%22%23River%22%20data-user-id%3D%22nfAWRPEQh5ok%22%20href%3D%22/topic/river%22%3E%23River%3C/a%3E%26nbsp%3B
