A couple of days after Down To Earth (DTE) reported that despite 450 million devotees thronging to Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh gathering, there is no official information on the quality of water in the Ganges river, a petition was filed yesterday, on January 16, 2024, in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) concerning this matter.
The petition is filed by former Indian Police Service officer and political activist Amitabh Thakur.
The petition was filed as the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) wasn’t found to be uploading any information on the issue on its website. Nor is the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) providing any details in this regard.
According to the petition, under the given directions, various data such as sample analysis reports, reports on the performance of STPs and geo-tubes, and analytical reports of samples taken from outlets should be uploaded to the websites.
The petition referred to an NGT order from December 2024 order in the case of Kamlesh Singh vs Uttar Pradesh Government which had ruled that during the Mahakumbh, untreated sewage should not flow into the Ganga and Yamuna to avoid inconvenience to the devotees.
Furthermore, the CPCB and UPPCB were directed to increase their monitoring points and frequency of monitoring. Both these agencies were to collect water samples from the Ganga and Yamuna at regular intervals, at least twice a week. To avoid repetition of samples, this was to be done systematically.
As per the same NGT order, the analytical reports of these samples were to be displayed on the websites of UPPCB and CPCB.
The NGT had also stated that both agencies would periodically collect samples from the outlets of sewage treatment plants (STPs) and advanced oxidation ponds, and these analytical reports would also be uploaded on the websites. In addition, online monitoring data should be made available on the websites.
The petition filed in the NGT alleges that, despite the CPCB’s order, three weeks had passed, and yet these directed facts, data, and reports had not been displayed anywhere.
Furthermore, no results regarding water quality during the Mahakumbh have been shown on the UPPCB’s site.
The petition emphasises that this issue is of utmost importance for the lives and safety of millions of pilgrims.
Therefore, it has been requested that the CPCB and UPPCB be directed to display the sample analysis reports with links on the main pages of their respective websites.