UP Govt Claims Maha Kumbh Waters 'Safe For Drinking'; Expert Opinions Differ
Dr Ajay Sonkar and the UP government said that the waters of the Maha Kumbh were safe for consumption and bathing.
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Several media organisations published reports about Padma Shri awardee Dr Ajai Sonkar's 'study' on the purity of the water of the river Ganga during and after the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj.
They referred to a press release by the Uttar Pradesh government, which cited Sonkar’s study to say that the river’s water was completely safe and was "not only… suitable for bathing, Ganga water is as pure as alkaline water.”
(Swipe to view reports.)
(Source: Times of India/Screenshot)
(Source: Business Today/Screenshot)
(Source: Swarajya/Screenshot)
(Source: Moneycontrol/Screenshot)
Sonkar also reportedly said that the river kills germs ’50 times faster’ due to the presence of 1,100 different types of bacteriophages, which “naturally purify the water.”
Speaking in the state assembly on 19 February, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that river water was “safe for bathing as well as drinking,” adding that on seven different occasions, the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) had published reports showing that the water had less than the permissible limits of fecal coliform bacteria in them.
Apart from this, we came across one video on Dr Ajai Sonkar’s YouTube channel, which showed him testing water samples that he said was collected from the point where three rivers merged at the Kumbh on 23 February.
In his uncontrolled experiment, he goes on to explain that he had incubated the water at 37 degrees Celsius — the temperature of the human body — to check for bacterial growth and alkalinity, insinuating that alkalinity showed the purity of water.
However, Sonkar’s findings do not necessarily align with what science says.
'Bacteriophages exist because bacteria are present'
The Quint spoke to Dr TV Venkateswaran, visiting professor at the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, to understand how accurate these claims were.
Speaking about the presence of bacteriophages and the Ganga’s ability to purify itself, he said that while every river with flowing water has the ability to self-purify, “two mechanisms erode and stifle Ganga’s ability.”
He explained that when several tributaries combine to form the Ganga, they carry dissolved silicates, which along with other minerals, “inhibit bacterial development, killing or limiting their reproduction.”
Dr Venkateswaran explained that along the river, sewage and industrial pollutants in the water bond to these silicates, “leaving nothing by the time the river reaches its midpoint.”
On the other hand, bacteriophages, which are viruses which infect bacteria, are also abundant in the Ganga. Dr Sonkar’s study claims that 1,100 different kinds of bacteriophages were found in the samples he tested during the Maha Kumbh.
These points were also stated by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute’s (NEERI) senior scientist Krishna Khairnar in a 2023 article by Deccan Herald.
The article carried similar statements about the Ganga's self purifying capabilities for the first few hundreed
(Source: Deccan Herald/Screenshot)
Khairnar told the reporter that while the river was pristine in the first couple of hundred kilometres, the Ganga’s self-cleansing properties reduce in the middle and lower stretches due to increased human activities, which in turn, increase the water’s pollution.
“The high bacterial load does not allow the bacteriophage to overpower the bad ones,” the report quoted him as saying.
Dr Venkateswaran shared this opinion.
In an opinion piece published by The Print, biochemist and natural history writer Pranay Lal, too, was of the same opinion. “…bacteriophages exist only because its prey, the bacteria, is found in abundance. They would not exist without them. Simply put, the presence of bacteria-killing viruses is a symptom of bacterial pollution. It is not the sign of some potent power of the river.”
Lal's piece on The Print explains the science behind the Ganga's self-cleaning ability.
(Source: The Print/Screenshot)
Lal, too, said that the river indeed possessed self-cleaning properties, which is inherent to all water bodies with a flow. This was, in large, attributed to the “river’s unique geochemical properties” as the water is silicate-rich helping the river keep itself clean and absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide.
NGT and the CPCB's Assessment of Kumbh Waters
Dr Sonkar’s reported findings from his study and Aditynath’s statements contradict data published by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which analysed the Kumbh waters on 12 and 23 January 2025.
The CPCB found water to be substandard at several assessment sites, as per a Down To Earth report about the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) criticism of the UPPCB’s findings of the river waters potability.
The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels of water refer to the amount of oxygen required by aquatic microorganisms to decompose organic waste in the water. The normal standard for BOD is set at three milligrams per litre (mg/L). The CPCB’s report found higher levels of BOD in water that it assessed at multiple locations, indicating a high level of pollution.
The NGT’s order also carried the CPCB’s findings, which showed that at at least two assessments sites, the BOD exceeded three mg/L on 12 January.
Figure 10 of the order shows the variation of BOD as observed by the CPCB, across assessment sites.
At several points and over many days, the BOD levels exceeded 3 mg/L.
(Source: NGT order/Screenshot)
The permissible limits for faecal coliform in the water, which indicates sewage contamination, cannot exceed 2500 mg per 100 milliliters.
However, on several days, the value consistently exceeded 2500, going as high as 49,000 mh/100ml at the point of the Sangam in the Ganga, the order showed.
The tribunal criticized the UPPCB, saying that the water for unfit for bathing, much less drinking.
The water was unfit for consumption after advanced treatment.
(Source: CPCB/Screenshot)
The NGT’s order also noted that all sewage treatment plants (STP) were operating above their capacities, which indicates that the water may not have been treated for pollutants and waste appropriately.
“This pollution violates primary water quality standards for bathing, affecting thousands of devotees taking a holy dip,” a report by LiveLaw said about the hearing. It added that the tribunal also called out the UPPCB for failing to provide a comprehensive report about water testing, “as instructed.”
What Did The UPPCB Find?
The UPPCB has made publicly available, reports of the assessment of water quality along the Yamuna and Ganga during the Maha Kumbh. We looked at three consecutive reports, from 17 to 21 February, and compared analyses of the same site.
All of them showed faecal coliform levels higher than the permissible limit of 2,500.
This report is from 17 February 2025.
(Source: UPPCB/Altered by The Quint)
This report is from 19 February 2025.
(Source: UPPCB/Altered by The Quint)
This report is from 21 February 2025.
(Source: UPPCB/Altered by The Quint)
Stating that despite their reports finding that the water was contaminated, the tribunal found that the Board had not taken to proper steps to address or combat the issue.
Despite Sonkar, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and media organisations deeming the water of the Ganga safe enough for drinking and bathing, the reality is that the water was contaminated and unfit for consumption.
During and after the religious gathering, news organisations and doctors highlighted anecdotal cases of people falling sick after taking a dip in these waters.
In Ranchi, dermatologists said that they saw and "unprecedented surge" in people complaining about skin-related issues after they returned from the Maha Kumbh Mela.
Ranchi's doctors saw an uptick in dermatological issues.
(Source: TOI/Screenshot)
On X (formerly Twitter), Dr Dipshikha Ghosh advised people to exercise caution at the mela, telling them that she had a patient with a severe lung infection after water entered her body through her nostrils after she took a dip in the water.
A woman developed a severe lung infection after she took the holy dip.
(Source: X/Screenshot)
It is at times like these that media literacy is paramount, requiring people to question all that they consume, regardless of its source.
When the news sources we rely on end up sharing unverified, unsubstantiated claims, it becomes important for one to verify the information they receive. Since it is difficult for every individual to do so, misinformation and misleading narratives proliferate and are assumed to be true.
(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)