The ongoing nationwide lockdown, which started on March 24, might have put hundreds of citizens at inconvenience, but it has come as a blessing for the pollutionridden Ganga and Yamuna.
If the quality of water of the two rivers in Prayagraj is compared on three different dates — March 13, April 9 and April 30 — the readings clearly indicate how clean the rivers have become.
With industries closed because of lockdown, fewer people visiting the river banks and substantial decline in the volume of effluent being discharged in the two rivers, the pollution levels in Ganga and Yamuna in Prayagraj have declined.
According to regional officer of the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), J B Singh, the board collected samples from the rivers on various dates.
Sharing the results with TOI of the abovementioned three dates, Singh said there was a remarkable drop in pollution levels during lockdown period.
According to UPPCB reports, the bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) level of Ganga at Sangam (the point just before it meets Yamuna) declined from 2.8mg/l (as recorded on March 13) to 2.4mg/l (on April 9) and further to 2.2mg/l on April 30.
Likewise, at Rasulabad Ghat (around five kilometre upstream of Sangam), the BOD level had decreased to 2.3mg/l from 2.5mg/l on April 9 and 2.8mg/l on March
13. The BOD level of a river should be less than 3mg/l.
Two other vital parameters, which describe the quality of river water, are total coliform and fecal coliform.
Singh said on March 13, total coliform level at Sangam was 3400 MPN/100ml (most probable number) which came down to 2600MPN/100ml on April 9. In the sample of April 30, the reading was 2100MPN.
The fecal coliform level at Sangam was 1300MPN/100ml on March 13, 820MPN/100ml on April 9 and remained the same on April 30. However, it came down to 680 on April 23. The maximum permissible limit of fecal coliform is 2500MPN.
“BOD at Yamuna was 2.4mg/l on March 13 which dipped to just 2mg/l on April 9. On April 30, it further dipped to 1.8, indicating improvement in the quality of water,” said Singh. On April 23, BOD was as low as 1.7mg/l.
Yamuna’s fecal coliform level also came down to 600MPN on April 30 from 1300MPN recorded on March 13.
In Fatehpur too, Ganga remained clean. As per readings provided by UPPCB, the BOD level of Ganga was just 2.1mg/l whereas in respect to total coliform and fecal coliform, the readings were 2000MPN/100ml and 680MPN, respectively.
If the quality of water of the two rivers in Prayagraj is compared on three different dates — March 13, April 9 and April 30 — the readings clearly indicate how clean the rivers have become.
With industries closed because of lockdown, fewer people visiting the river banks and substantial decline in the volume of effluent being discharged in the two rivers, the pollution levels in Ganga and Yamuna in Prayagraj have declined.
According to regional officer of the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), J B Singh, the board collected samples from the rivers on various dates.
Sharing the results with TOI of the abovementioned three dates, Singh said there was a remarkable drop in pollution levels during lockdown period.
According to UPPCB reports, the bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) level of Ganga at Sangam (the point just before it meets Yamuna) declined from 2.8mg/l (as recorded on March 13) to 2.4mg/l (on April 9) and further to 2.2mg/l on April 30.
Likewise, at Rasulabad Ghat (around five kilometre upstream of Sangam), the BOD level had decreased to 2.3mg/l from 2.5mg/l on April 9 and 2.8mg/l on March
13. The BOD level of a river should be less than 3mg/l.
Two other vital parameters, which describe the quality of river water, are total coliform and fecal coliform.
Singh said on March 13, total coliform level at Sangam was 3400 MPN/100ml (most probable number) which came down to 2600MPN/100ml on April 9. In the sample of April 30, the reading was 2100MPN.
The fecal coliform level at Sangam was 1300MPN/100ml on March 13, 820MPN/100ml on April 9 and remained the same on April 30. However, it came down to 680 on April 23. The maximum permissible limit of fecal coliform is 2500MPN.
“BOD at Yamuna was 2.4mg/l on March 13 which dipped to just 2mg/l on April 9. On April 30, it further dipped to 1.8, indicating improvement in the quality of water,” said Singh. On April 23, BOD was as low as 1.7mg/l.
Yamuna’s fecal coliform level also came down to 600MPN on April 30 from 1300MPN recorded on March 13.
In Fatehpur too, Ganga remained clean. As per readings provided by UPPCB, the BOD level of Ganga was just 2.1mg/l whereas in respect to total coliform and fecal coliform, the readings were 2000MPN/100ml and 680MPN, respectively.
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