Whether Hindutva Supremacists made people bathe in polluted Sewage water during the Mahakumbh
Faith and filth have an uncanny existence together
The latest in series happens to be the report by the Central Pollution Control Board underlining how they have found high faecal bacteria levels in Prayagraj river water, which fails bathing standards and the summoning of the UPPCB authorities by National Green Tribunal over non-compliance of directives regarding ‘serious water quality violation in Ganga, Yamuna at Prayagraj’ (https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Feb/18/mahakumbh-high-faecal-bacteria-levels-in-prayagraj-river-water-fails-bathing-standards-says-pollution-control-board)
Fact is that the the National Green Tribunal (NGT) repeated it again when it said high levels of faecal and total coliform were found at various locations at the Maha Kumbh, during a hearing on allegations that untreated sewage has been discharged into Rivers Ganga and Yamuna in Prayagraj. [https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/yogi-adityanath-rejects-faecal-bacteria-report-says-sangam-water-fit-for-drinking-7745331#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll].
Whether Yogi Adityanath’s rejection of this report on the floor of the house and underlining that the water at the Sangam is fit for ‘drinking’ would serve any purpose when NGT would be grilling the UPPCB authorities over the non-compliance of their directives issued earlier over the quality of water ? [https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/yogi-adityanath-rejects-faecal-bacteria-report-says-sangam-water-fit-for-drinking-7745331#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll].
Any sane person knows the answer.
May be to appear uncompromising or cover his own nervousness over the developments he tried to question the veracity of this report – in an indirect way – by condemning people who spread misinformation against “Sanatana Dharma, Maa Ganga, and India.” (-do-) and warning them that they are attacking faith of those 56 crore people who had taken a bath there.
True that none of the strongest critics of the ruling dispensation would have imagined that as the Mela concludes within next few days – the lasting image would not be Yogi Adityanath getting accolades for organising this ‘historic mela’ but the reprimand received by the UPPCB over the presence of excessively high levels of faecal coliform bacteria, which mainly come from human and animal faeces indicating that the water people used for bathing contaminated with sewage, leading to the potential spread of waterborne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea, and cholera.
The detailed critique presented by the CPCB about the quality of water arising from sewage Treatment Plants installed at Allahabad unable to treat the complete sewage received by them and untreated sewage flowing directly into the water or massive open defecation practised by the pilgrims around the mela site for want of commensurate arrangements would be difficult to brush aside.
Looking at the fact that the report is prepared by CPCB and further debated by NGT – both working under the central government led by the present Numero Uno of the ruling dispensation, it will be difficult for him to categorise these hard hitting exposes – which bring forth the massive gap between the claims of a safe and secure bathing at Sangam and the actual situation on the ground – as part of ecosystem which is engaged in ‘degrading Sanatan.’
Questions would now be raised more forcefully and vehemently and the examinee will have no option to declare unilaterally that they ‘are out of syllabus’.
What is worth emphasising here is that the reprimand delivered by the NGT to the UPPCB inadvertently or so also exposes the vacuousness of the Central government and its representatives who had made rather bold claims about making strenuous efforts to ‘maintain the hygience of the river waters’ supposedly based on the technology contributed by India’s nuclear research centres’ maintained the hygiene of the river waters. (https://thesouthfirst.com/news/a-dip-in-faecal-concentration-at-maha-kumbh-ganga-yamuna-waters-highly-contaminated/) It need be recalled here that Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh had told reporters at Prayagraj – when he had come to take a bath at Sangam himself – about how Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam have set up wastewater filtration plants in Prayagraj.
Remember allegations of mismanagement of the Mela have been raised from time to time.
Right from the various reports about tents catching fire at the mela site which did not get the attention they deserved to huge traffic jams – some few hundred kilometres long – at various places on way to Allahabad accompanied by the tragedy of stampede on Mauni Amavasya day – which officially kiiled 30 people and wounded 80 – which was acknowledged exactly after 17 hours of the incident – and allegations of more casualities still refusing to die down – everything which unfolded there was said to be beyond imagination.
Till date it has been possible for it to silence critics or forcing truthseekers to keep quiet basically by invoking the narrative of ‘insult to Sanatan Dharma.’ Now it will be increasingly difficult for it to offer self defence when a section of conscious people will say how they were made to bathe in polluted water and it will be difficult for them to get convinced by the official denials about the quality of water.
Coming back to the obeservations by National Green Tribunal and its claim that the high degree of pollution was found to be maximum at the Sangam and the water used by people was not at all fit for bathing as it was mixed with sewage water, the facts on the ground are so blatant that it would be difficult to brush them aside.
Four broad queries arise which demand clear cut answers from the powers that be and no dilly dallying around them
One, why did not the UP Pollution Control Board put in extra efforts to put in place mechanisms / arrangements before the Mela itself started knowing fully well that millions of people would be flooding the area in next few weeks ?
Two, why it could not ensure that the Sewage Treatment Plants installed there remained fully functional so that no sewage could be flown directly into the river
Three, why did it not make urgent efforts to ameliorate the situation when the CPCB submitted its finding to the UPPCB so that millions of devotees be saved from bathing in ‘sewage water’ ?
Four, if it discovered that the task set before itself was impossible to achieve why it did not press the emergency button, communicate to the ruling dispensation that it now discourage people from coming to the Kumbh, so that they be saved from bathing in dirty water mixed with foecal content
Everybody knows that formally the queries may be addressed to the UPPCB which is handled by personnel in the state bureaucracy, the ultimate responsibility of the whole arrangements falls on the shoulders of the Chief Minister and his colleagues and also the ruling dispensation at the Centre only.
Can they suddenly deny that it was their ultimate responsibility when the state government and the central government joined hands for this ‘historic Mahakumbh’ and invited people from all over India to the ‘once in life time opportunity’ – which was happening after ‘144 years’
Can they deny the fact that more than Rs 7,300 crores were given to the Mela organisers to ensure a safe and secure gathering of people keen to take bath during ‘auspicious period’ and is before us. Perhaps a financial audit of the expenses would also be desired to verify why it could not be ensured that at least the Sewage Treatment Plants remained fully functional or arrangements should have been made to install some extra plants looking at the humongous crowd gathering there for a relatively short period.
It is possible that the cheerleaders of the ruling dispensation at the Centre and also in the state of UP would argue that the unprecedented crowds coming from different parts of India caused all the preparations go haywire –
This is a very weak argument when the world has seen the massive advertisement campaign peddled by the ruling dispensation which jointly carried a photograph of Modi as well as Yogi. Without any such advertisement campaing millions of people gather for the Kumbh Mela and when the government itself pushes it further it was expected that massive crowds would throng the Kumbh mela. It was expected that people would throng the mela site in massive numbers, which demanded high level preparations.
Remember if there is mishappening at any gathering the main responsibility for it falls on the shoulders of the organiser/s – – who has/ have sent invitation, similar is the case for this ‘historic Maha Kumbh’.
It was the responsibility of these main organisers that they should have looked at earlier experiences of mass gatherings for religious baths and should have drawn necessary lessons.
Numerous studies are available in public domain which bring forth this ‘paradox of purification’ (https://www.ijert.org/impact-of-kumbh-mela-on-environment ; https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-the-toxic-waters-of-religion-2282976#google_vignette)
Millions descend upon the ghats during the Kumbh Mela, seeking spiritual cleansing through ritual bathing (snan) in the sacred rivers. While this act holds immense significance, it creates a paradoxical situation for the very waters they revere. The sheer volume of people releases a significant amount of fecal coli form bacteria and other pollutants. Offerings like flowers, puja materials, and even soap meant to be acts of devotion contribute to organic and inorganic pollution. This can lead to a decline in dissolved oxygen levels, harming the aquatic life that thrives within these rivers, considered sacred forms of life themselves. Essentially, the very act of seeking purification in the river can unintentionally diminish its ability to purify.
In fact, they could have looked at the experience of the last Ardh Kumbh held at Allahabad / Prayagraj in the year 2019 and would have realised that there was a quantum jump in the fecal coliform content which comes from human excreta :
CPCB guidelines say if the fecal coliform content, which comes from human excreta, is more than 2,500 million per 100 ml, it is unfit for bathing. At Sangam Ghat, the fecal coliform content in February was 12,500 millions per 100 ml water, shows UPPCB data. At Shastri Bridge, it was 10,150 millions per 100 ml.
Obviously, during Kumbh the Ganga was unfit for drinking as well. Startling figures of total coliform, which comes from sources such as environment, soil, water confirm this. CPCB guidelines say Ganga water should never be consumed directly.
[https://www.downtoearth.org.in/pollution/faith-to-filth-thanks-to-kumbh-prayagraj-sinks-in-solid-waste-64579]
Or, earlier studies of similar gatherings
Kumbh leaves Godavari with 130 times more bacteria load
Scientists, who conducted a study at five locations across Godavari river, say open defecation by pilgrims and bad sewage management and waste disposal system are the major contributors
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/water/kumbh-leaves-godavari-with-130-times-more-bacteria-load-60304
Undoubtedly, questions raised by the National Green Tribunal regarding the quality of water at the Mahakumbh and how people were allowed to gather without adequate preparations will not die away soon.
More and more people would realise that the ‘sacred bath’ they supposedly had at the Sangam during the ‘auspicious period’ was laced with ‘Sewage Water’.
A section of pilgrims would also gather courage to raise the question how their faith was exploited by the powers that be for their short term aim to project themselves as Hindu Hriday Samrats.
Subhash Gatade is a left activist associated with New Socialist Initiative
