After Kumbh, Ganga water at several places in Bihar unfit for bathing, says survey | India News

NEW DELHI: The water of the Ganga river has been discovered unfit for bathing at several places in Bihar as a result of presence of a excessive worth of “bacteriological population”, in keeping with Bihar Economic Survey 2024-25. This comes after the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) revealed that water high quality at a number of areas in Prayagraj through the Maha Kumbh failed to fulfill main bathing requirements as a consequence of extreme faecal coliform ranges.
“The water quality of Ganga indicates the presence of a higher value of bacteriological population (total coliform and faecal coliform). This is mainly due to the discharge of sewage/domestic waste water from cities located on the banks of Ganga and her tributaries,” Bihar Economic Survey report mentioned.
“The other parameters… pH (acidity or basicity), dissolved oxygen and bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) have been observed within the prescribed limit in the river and her tributaries in Bihar, indicating that water is fit for aquatic life, wildlife propagation, fisheries and irrigation,” it added.
Reacting to the report, DK Shukla, chairman of the BSPCB, instructed PTI, “Faecal coliform bacteria are found in excreta that contaminates water through untreated sewage. The higher the level, the higher is the presence of disease-causing pathogens in water. According to the CPCB standards, the permissible limit of faecal coliform is 2,500 MPN/100 ml.”
Notable cities located alongside the river’s banks embrace Buxar, Chapra (Saran), Dighwara, Sonepur, Maner, Danapur, Patna, Fatuha, Bakhtiyarpur, Barh, Mokama, Begusarai, Khagaria, Lakhisarai, Manihari, Munger, Jamalpur, Sultanganj, Bhagalpur, and Kahalgaon.