VARANASI: The city celebrated the World Environment Day with a series of
activities to create mass awareness for environment conservation on
Tuesday, but the holy Ganga that crosses through the millennial old city
continued to bear the increasing pollution load in terms of biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD) and faecal coliform counts (FCC).
"Both BOD and FCC were found many times above the acceptable limits in the Ganga at all prominent ghats of the city," said Prof Veer Bhadra Mishra, noted environmentalist and expert member of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA). Mishra is also the president of Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF), an NGO working for the cause of Ganga for over 25 years. Under its 'Swatcha Ganga' campaign the SMF conducts regular monitoring and water testing of Ganga.
On the occasion of World Environment Day it released the testing report conducted recently during the auspicious Ganga Dussehra when thousands of devotees took bath in the holy river. Normally the SMF takes samples of water about 3-5 metres away from all prominent ghats where the depth of river varies from 1-1.5 metres. According to the report, the BOD level of water remains around 2mg per litre when the river enters the city. The acceptable limit of BOD for bathing purpose is 3mg/l, but it was found between 4-4 to 7.6 mg/l in most of the places. The resting report reveals that the BOD level was 6.2mg/l at Tulsi Ghat, 7.2mg/l at Shivala Ghat, 5.4mg/l at Kedar Ghat, 7mg/l at Rajendra Prasad Ghat, 4.4mg/l at Panch Ganga Ghat and 7.6mg/l at Trilochan Ghat.
Similarly, the FCC was recorded 16000-60000 per 100ml of Ganga water while the acceptable limit of FCC for bathing purpose is only 500 per 100ml. According to the report, the FCC was recorded 32000 at Tulsi Ghat, 60000 at Shivala Ghat, 28000 at Kedar Ghat, 38000 at Rajendra Prasad Ghat, 16000 at Panch Ganga Ghat and 33000 at Trilochan Ghat. It may be mentioned here that the ambitious Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was formally launched here at Rajendra Prasad Ghat in 1986 by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
According to Mishra, the problem of pollution at Varanasi is due to the discharge of sewage, industrial waste, animal carcasses, unclaimed human bodies, and plastic bags into the river. The seven-km stretch of river in Varanasi extending from Asi to Varuna is believed to be a holy place. Thousands of people take bath in the river every day. About 95% of this pollution is caused by sewage discharge into the river from the point sources of pollution. The level of this pollution can be quantified by BOD in mg/l of the river water, which is a measure of organic matter present in water, and the number of FCC/100 ml of water sample, indicating the presence of faecal coliform bacteria in water, the root cause of practically all water-borne diseases.
It may be mentioned here that the SMF received Global 500 Roll of Honour in 1992 at Rio on the occasion of UN's conference and the Earth Summit. Time magazine during the millennium year nominated SMF president as one of 'seven heroes of the planet'. Mishra always advocated for Advanced Integrated Wastewater Oxidation Pond System (AIWPS) technology for the treatment of wastewater.The technology was developed at the University of California at Berkeley, USA.
"Both BOD and FCC were found many times above the acceptable limits in the Ganga at all prominent ghats of the city," said Prof Veer Bhadra Mishra, noted environmentalist and expert member of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA). Mishra is also the president of Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF), an NGO working for the cause of Ganga for over 25 years. Under its 'Swatcha Ganga' campaign the SMF conducts regular monitoring and water testing of Ganga.
On the occasion of World Environment Day it released the testing report conducted recently during the auspicious Ganga Dussehra when thousands of devotees took bath in the holy river. Normally the SMF takes samples of water about 3-5 metres away from all prominent ghats where the depth of river varies from 1-1.5 metres. According to the report, the BOD level of water remains around 2mg per litre when the river enters the city. The acceptable limit of BOD for bathing purpose is 3mg/l, but it was found between 4-4 to 7.6 mg/l in most of the places. The resting report reveals that the BOD level was 6.2mg/l at Tulsi Ghat, 7.2mg/l at Shivala Ghat, 5.4mg/l at Kedar Ghat, 7mg/l at Rajendra Prasad Ghat, 4.4mg/l at Panch Ganga Ghat and 7.6mg/l at Trilochan Ghat.
Similarly, the FCC was recorded 16000-60000 per 100ml of Ganga water while the acceptable limit of FCC for bathing purpose is only 500 per 100ml. According to the report, the FCC was recorded 32000 at Tulsi Ghat, 60000 at Shivala Ghat, 28000 at Kedar Ghat, 38000 at Rajendra Prasad Ghat, 16000 at Panch Ganga Ghat and 33000 at Trilochan Ghat. It may be mentioned here that the ambitious Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was formally launched here at Rajendra Prasad Ghat in 1986 by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
According to Mishra, the problem of pollution at Varanasi is due to the discharge of sewage, industrial waste, animal carcasses, unclaimed human bodies, and plastic bags into the river. The seven-km stretch of river in Varanasi extending from Asi to Varuna is believed to be a holy place. Thousands of people take bath in the river every day. About 95% of this pollution is caused by sewage discharge into the river from the point sources of pollution. The level of this pollution can be quantified by BOD in mg/l of the river water, which is a measure of organic matter present in water, and the number of FCC/100 ml of water sample, indicating the presence of faecal coliform bacteria in water, the root cause of practically all water-borne diseases.
It may be mentioned here that the SMF received Global 500 Roll of Honour in 1992 at Rio on the occasion of UN's conference and the Earth Summit. Time magazine during the millennium year nominated SMF president as one of 'seven heroes of the planet'. Mishra always advocated for Advanced Integrated Wastewater Oxidation Pond System (AIWPS) technology for the treatment of wastewater.The technology was developed at the University of California at Berkeley, USA.
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