The water quality of the river Ganga was clean enough for bathing and capable for supporting the river ecosystem for almost the entire stretch of the river, Bishweswar Tudu, Minister of State for Water Resources, said in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
Dissolved Oxygen (DO), which is an indicator of river health was within “acceptable limits” of “bathing water quality criteria”.
A report by the Central Pollution Control Board in 2018, pointed out four polluted stretches on the main stem of river Ganga. There are five categories ranked 1 to 5, with 1 the most polluted and 5 the least. An updated 2021 report noted that none of the stretches of the Ganga stretches were now in Priority Category I to IV and only two stretches are in Priority Category V with Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), a parameter different from DO, ranging between 3-6 microgram/litre as per CPCB categorisation of polluted stretch.
