Ganga water at Triveni Sangam during Maha Kumbh 2025 has been deemed unsafe for bathing due to high Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels exceeding 5 mg/L against the safe limit of 3 mg/L.
By Aniket Chakraborty
Feb 21, 2025
Over 54 crore people have already taken holy dips at the Triveni Sangam, despite the water quality concerns, with the event running from January 13 to February 26.
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The temporary Mahakumbh Nagar city hosts 50 lakh to 1 crore devotees at any time, generating 16 million liters of faecal waste and 240 million liters of greywater daily.
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UP government is releasing 10,000-11,000 cusecs of water into the Ganga to improve water quality, though BOD levels continue to fluctuate above safe limits.
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The Central Pollution Control Board reported that BOD levels briefly improved to safe levels during Makar Sankranti (2.28 mg/L) but rose again by late January.
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Major improvements in sanitation infrastructure include 1.5 lakh individual toilets and two faecal sludge treatment plants, up from 1.14 lakh toilets in 2019.
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A new 200-kilometer temporary drainage network has been established to connect treatment facilities across the Kumbh area.
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The government's claims of water safety have been challenged by experts, including Himanshu Thakkar from SANDRP, who called it "highly irresponsible."
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Since 2015, India's river pollution has worsened, with polluted stretches increasing from 302 to 351 by 2018.
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This marks the first Kumbh with comprehensive sanitation facilities, replacing the previous practice of open defecation in designated areas marked by red flags.