Photo: PTI
Since 2020-21, water from the Ganga in Bihar has not met faecal coliform levels at 34 sampling sites, according to the Bihar State Pollution Control Board (BSPCB)’s submission to the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT’s) principal bench in an ongoing matter on the river's water quality in the state.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) regulations, high levels of faecal coliform indicate a high bacterial load and pollution, rendering the water unsafe for drinking and bathing.
The BSPCB's assertions come a month after the CPCB informed the NGT during the Mahakumbh that faecal coliform levels in Ganga river water at Sangam in Prayagraj were far higher than allowed limits, rendering it unsafe for bathing, Indian Express reported.
As crores of people bathed in the river, the CPCB's report caused row. In its March 17 affidavit, the BSPCB said that coliform levels at locations like Gaighat in Patna were 1,60,000 most probable number (MPN) of microorganisms per 100 millilitres of a sample.
This was about 300 times the 500 MPN/100 ml lower limit that was recommended for bathing; the upper limit is 2,500 MPN/100 ml. Following regular treatment and disinfection, the recommended standard for drinking is 5,000 or less MPN/100 ml.
The BSPCB added that although the river's pH, alkalinity, and oxygen levels were within the Union Environment Ministry's established range, the levels of faecal and total coliform were found to be higher than acceptable limits.
“The TC and FC (Total Coliform and Faecal Coliform) is beyond the prescribed standards as the household sewage generated in the concerned urban areas is being discharged into river Ganga without any prior treatment. In this connection, STP (sewage treatment plant) is being constructed in different cities in Bihar,” the BSPCB’s affidavit stated.
In response to press reports that the Ganga water in Bihar is unsafe for bathing, the major bench of the NGT, presided over by Justice Prakash Shrivastava, ordered the BSPCB to file its affidavit. Despite the fact that the case was heard on Monday, no directions were issued.
The BSPCB informed the NGT that it was building four STPs in Patna and one each in Barh, Munger, Sonpur, Sultanpur, Maner, Naugachhia, Chapra, Danapur, and Phulwari Sharif in response to the insufficient number of STPs.
Previously, the NGT highlighted in its orders on the subject that few STPs had been built and operating in the state, and the river quality met bathing criteria only in select cases. It also chastised the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for failing to take stern action on the state of water quality, reminding it of its authority.
The NMCG had previously said that the state's anticipated sewage generation was 1,100 million litres per day, with STPs erected only meeting the requirement of 343 million litres per day. The NGT bench noticed that there was a gap of more than 750 million litres per day, with this amount of sewage seeping into the river untreated.