- The quality of the water in the Ganga did not improve and rather deteriorated at many stretches including possibly
- due to the discharge of untreated or partially treated sewage
- Despite curbs on human activities during the 68-day lockdown imposed from March 25 to check the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report.
- Seven out of 19 major rivers in India, including the Brahmani, however, recorded an improvement in water quality in April, as compared to the period before the lockdown.
- The Ganga’s compliance with primary water quality reduced from 64.6 % to 46.2% during the lockdown.
- The report suggests that this may also have been because of
- negligible seasonal flow, which increases the concentration of pollution, and
- No freshwater discharges from the upstream.
- Compliance also reduced in the Beas, the Chambal, the Sutlej, and the Swarnarekha.
- The Baitarani, the Mahanadi, the Narmada, and the Pennar were 100% compliant with outdoor bathing water quality criteria.
- The CPCB sought to assess percentage variation (increasing or decreasing) trends in water quality only for
- bathing criteria parameters such as pH,
- DO (dissolved oxygen),
- BOD (biological oxygen demand), and
- FC (Fecal Coliform excluding Fecal Streptococci).
- These are all measures that show if a river can sustain life and is safe for bathing.
- The 2,525-kilometre-long Ganga originates in the northernmost part of Uttarakhand, flows through Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal before it discharges into the Bay of Bengal.
- The water in the Ganga had improved in Uttarakhand and some stretches of UP during the lockdown.
- However, no improvement was seen in West Bengal and Bihar in the downstream.
