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Bengal’s rivers in a bad shape
A dip in the Ganges is, generally speaking, synonymous with the idea of purification. But that shall no longer be so in Bengal, where the river is so polluted that it is now officially unfit for bathing
17 of them have high levels of bacteria found mainly in human faeces, it says
According to the latest State of Environment Report, published by the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), in 17 major rivers of the State, including the Ganges:
Coliform bacteria above normal
- The levels of coliform bacteria (found mainly in human faeces) are much higher than the permissible limit of MPN (most probable number) per 100 ml
- The permissible limit as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guideline is 500
Bhagirathi and Hooghly affected
The report states that several stretches of the Ganges, known as Bhagirathi and Hooghly in the region (two tributaries of the Ganges), have a total coliform count (TCC) much higher than the permissible level of 500
Significant increase
According to the WBPCB, compared with 2014, all the four main rivers of north Bengal recorded a significant increase in TCC, while the ones in south Bengal had TCC levels much higher than the permissible limit
Rivers
These include:
- Damodar river at Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district (90,000)
- Barakar river at Tarapith in Birbhum district (17,000 TCC)
- Kansai river in Paschim Medinipur district (17,000)
- Dwarka at Tarapith (3,400)
