NGT asks UP body to submit detailed Kumbh water report

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday questioned the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) whether it disputed the Central Pollution Control Board's finding on high levels of faecal coliform being found in the water at various locations in Prayagraj during the ongoing Maha Kumbh.

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A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava also directed the UPPCB to submit a detailed report within a week on water quality, including various parameters such as dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and faecal coliform levels, as well as measures taken during the period of Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13 and will conclude on February 26.

Referring to a recent CPCB submission which found high faecal coliform at various points in the river, the bench asked the central body to share its report with the UPPCB for further action. "You (UPPCB) analyse the CPCB report and submit yours accordingly," the bench, also comprising judicial member justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel, said on Wednesday.

The direction came after the UPPCB counsel said the CPCB did not inform it about the places from where the water samples were taken. The bench, however, remarked that there was no statutory requirement for the CPCB to provide information before taking samples. It also slammed the UPPCB saying the sample collection points did not matter and that it was enough that the stretch of the river was polluted.