Maha Kumbh 2025: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) raised the issue of severe water quality at various locations in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh during the ongoing Maha Kumbh with the National Green Tribunal.
The CPCB, in its report, said that the water in the Sangam had high faecal coliform levels because of which it failed to meet primary bathing standards.
As per the CPCB, faecal coliform is one of the major indicators of sewage contamination and it should not be more than the permissible limit of 2,500 units per 100 ml.
On February 3, the CPCB filed a report in which it indicated increased levels of faecal bacteria at different places in Sangam, Prayagraj, especially on Shahi Snan days.
Faecal coliform bacteria are present in the intestines of humans and animals. The presence of these bacteria is used as an indicator to find potential contamination in water.
The faecal coliform bacteria’s presence in water hints at the presence of harmful pathogens like parasites, viruses and other bacteria which originate from stool or faecal matter or stool of animals and humans.
Officials test faecal coliforms for water quality assessments and to find if water is safe for drinking or any kind of recreational activity.
“The river water quality was not conforming to the primary water quality for bathing concerning faecal coliform (FC) at all the monitored locations on various occasions. A large number of people bathe in the river at Prayagraj during the Mahakumbh Mela, including on auspicious bathing days, which eventually leads to an increase in faecal concentration," the CPCB said in its report.
In its report, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said that coliform bacteria doesn’t itself lead to illness but indicates the presence of pathogenic organisms in water.
Faecal coliform pollution in water can pose serious health risks for people and can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, typhoid, cholera, skin diseases and other severe infections.
In its paper, the World Health Organisation said that contamination of faecal coliform bacteria in drinking water “has been implicated in the spread of important infectious and parasitic diseases such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis, giardiasis, guinea worm and schistosomiasis."
