Ganga Water At Kumbh's Sangam Unsafe On Another Parameter Too: Data
The Ganga water at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, where lakhs of people are taking a holy dip every day during the ongoing Maha Kumbh, is currently unsafe for bathing as it exceeds the prescribed limit for biological oxygen demand (BOD), a key parameter to determine water quality, according to government data. BOD refers to the amount of oxygen required by aerobic microorganisms to break down organic material in a water body. A higher BOD level indicates more organic content in the water. River water is considered fit for bathing if the BOD level is less than 3 milligrams per litre. The Central Pollution Control Board recently told the National Green Tribunal that several locations in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj do not conform to the primary water quality standards for bathing with respect to faecal coliform levels. However, it said that the river water quality met the bathing criteria in terms of BOD after January 13 "due to freshwater intrusion at upstream locations....
