Prisoners bath in Sangam water inside jail in Lucknow
Prisoners of Lucknow District Prison took a bath in the holy confluence water of Mahakumbh on Friday.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government over a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) flaggIing sewage contamination in the Ganga River at Prayagraj.
He also accused the Yogi Adityanath-led dispensation of trying to suppress the issue by controlling media coverage.
“This news came to light when CPCB told the National Green Tribunal that the water of Ganga ji in Prayagraj is contaminated with sewage. In Lucknow, on the floor of the House, this report was proved false and it was said that everything was under control,” Yadav wrote on X.
Taking a dig at the government’s stance, he further added, “Actually, the people of Lucknow meant that there is control on the media to prevent the spread of the news of ‘polluted water’. The public is asking whether, like contempt of court, a case can be filed against someone for contempt of a government board or authority? People of UP are asking: What is going on between Delhi and Lucknow?”
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According to the CPCB report, the river’s water quality at most places where the monitoring was conducted did not meet the criteria for bathing. According to the monitoring conducted on January 12-13, the water was found with high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels.
The report emerges as millions of people from across the country have gathered in Prayagraj for a holy dip at Triveni Sangam during Maha Kumbh.
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However, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while speaking on the floor of the Assembly on Wednesday, claimed that the quality of water at the Triveni Sangam Nose, a point where Ganga meets Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, is suitable not just for bathing but also for “aachman” (sipping).
“Questions are being raised about the quality of the water (at Triveni) … All pipes and drains in and around Sangam have been taped, and the water is being released only after purification… As per today’s reports, the amount of BOD near Sangam is less than 3, and the dissolved oxygen is around 8-9. This means that the Sangam water is suitable not just for bathing but also for ‘Aachman’,” he added.
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