
NGT issues notice to UP govt over open defecation at Maha Kumbh
The NGT was responding to a plea seeking ₹10 crore in environmental compensation from UP government for its failure to provide sanitary facilities at Maha Kumbh
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government over allegations that inadequate sanitation facilities at the Maha Kumbh Mela have led to open defecation along the Ganga river banks.
The application was filed by one Nipun Bhushan, who is seeking ₹10 crore in environmental compensation from the Uttar Pradesh government.
He alleged that the state has failed to prevent large-scale pollution due to poor sanitation facilities at the Maha Kumbh Mela held in Prayagraj, according to a Bar and Bench report.
A bench of chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr A Senthil Vel sought responses from the authorities, directing them to file their replies one week before the next hearing.
The case will be heard next on February 24.
Alarming levels of fecal coliform
According to Bar and Bench, the application cited a water quality test from November 2024 which recorded fecal coliform levels at downstream Sangam at 3,300 MPN (Most Probable Number) per 100 millilitres.
The high levels of fecal coliform exceeds the permissible limit of 2,500 MPN/100 ml set by the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC).
Also, earlier this month, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) submitted a report to the NGT revealing alarming levels of fecal coliform in the river Ganga, which makes the waters unsuitable for bathing.
The presence of such contaminants can cause diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A and polio among the millions of devotees taking a holy dip in the Ganga, it was contended.
Watch: Dirty dip? Yogi vs others slug it out over Sangam water
The polluter bears the cost
Nipun Bhushan invoked the ‘polluter pays’ principle which is a widely recognised principle in environmental law where the polluter is obligated to bear the costs of the damage caused to the environment. This application also alleges ‘dereliction of duty’ under Article 48A of the Constitution.
This makes the state accountable for protecting and improving the environment, he argued in his application.
Moreover, the plea said the UP pollution control board has not published updated water quality data, leading to questions over transparency.
Also read: 60 crore devotees bathed at Maha Kumbh: UP govt
Defecating in the open
Officials at the Kumbh Mela have assured that there are around 1.5 lakh bio-toilets operational but they seem inadequate for the massive influx of pilgrims.
Videos taken at the Kumbh Mela show several pilgrims defecating on the banks of the river, raising further concerns about public health and environment safety with the rising fecal coliform levels in the river Ganga.
Also read: Yogi trashes CPCB report of faecal bacteria in Sangam water as ‘propaganda’