How pure will the water be available to the devotees in Maha Kumbh, what will happen to the drains that fall into the Ganga? NGT seeks answer from Yogi government

Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 , The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to take “effective and immediate steps” and prepare a time-bound action plan to ensure minimum waste flow into Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Prayagraj ahead of the Kumbh Mela. It also directed the concerned administration to ensure that the water quality of the rivers is maintained at drinking water quality level and their suitability for pilgrims is displayed at the bathing ghats. The tribunal was hearing a case on availability of clean water during the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj amid claims of waste flowing into the two rivers.

Report sought on drains falling into Ganga-Yamuna

A bench headed by National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said a previous committee had filed a report on drains directly flowing into Ganga and Yamuna (drains not connected to effluent treatment plants), effluent treatment plants (STPs) and their utilisation capacity, gap in sewage network and treatment.

So many drains are polluting the Ganga

A bench of Justice Shrivastava and Justice A K Tyagi, Judicial Member and Justice A Senthil Vel, Expert Member, said that a perusal of the above report clearly shows that there are 44 drains which discharge untreated wastewater into the Ganga river. The report also shows that there are 81 drains in the city and these drains discharge 289.97 million litres (MLD) of waste per day (into the rivers) and the waste coming through the sewerage network in the existing 10 STPs is 178.31 MLD.

Asked to stop flowing waste into river Ganga

In the order passed on July 1, the bench also said that according to the report, the drains falling directly into the river are releasing 73.80 MLD waste (into the rivers) and there is a difference of 128.28 MLD in the treatment capacity. Expressing dissatisfaction, the tribunal said that this report does not reflect that any effective action will be taken to prevent 73.80 MLD of untreated waste from these 44 direct drains from flowing into the Ganga river during the upcoming Kumbh Mela.

Progress report sought from the government

NGT said that the counsel for Uttar Pradesh has submitted that these 44 drains will be connected to the existing STP by November. The tribunal said that keeping in mind the fact that the devotees or visitors of Kumbh Mela will take bath in Ganga and Yamuna rivers and will use its water for drinking and other purposes, we are of the view that all effective and immediate steps need to be taken before the Kumbh Mela begins and an action plan needs to be prepared so that minimum waste is released into Ganga and Yamuna rivers or its flow is stopped. The tribunal has given Uttar Pradesh eight weeks’ time for a progress report on this.