The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ruled that the health of millions of pilgrims visiting the Maha Kumbh fair in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, will be negatively affected if effective steps are not taken to prevent the discharge of sewage into the Ganga.
The 40-day fair is scheduled to begin on January 14 with the Makar Sankranti’snan’ (holy bath) and conclude on February 26 with the Mahashivratri snan.
The tribunal was hearing a plea claiming 50 drains were discharging sewage directly into the river Ganga in an eight-km stretch from Rasulabad in the city to the Sangam (confluence of river Ganga and Yamuna).
In September 2024, the tribunal formed a high-powered committee (HPC) under the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary and directed it to submit a report about preventive measures by November 23. However, the NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava stated that the HPC had filed no report or any written request for extension of time. The tribunal also noted a typographical error in a communication sent to the chief secretary on November 28 about seeking an extension for filing the report.
The NGT emphasized that the issue of river Ganga’s pollution was a “time-sensitive matter” and expressed dissatisfaction with the government counsel’s request for 15 days to submit the report. The tribunal granted a week to file the report, considering the request made by the counsel. The NGT was inclined to direct the personal presence of the principal secretary of the state’s environment department but was restraining itself due to the counsel’s assurance about prompt action and no delays in the future.
The matter has been posted for further proceedings on December 9.
In the hearing on July 1, the tribunal noted a report by the UP Pollution Control Board and stated, “The action taken report reflects that the water of the river in the relevant stretch is not of drinkable quality for ‘achman’ purposes.” Saurabh Tiwary, an attorney, filed the plea.
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Source: NDTV