No Significant Improvement In The River Water Quality In Past Two Years: CPCB Report

In a wakeup call to the government and citizens, a report by the Central Pollution Control Board made public this week shows little to no improvement in the river water quality over the last two years.

The report says that the number of Polluted River Stretches (PRS) in 323 rivers has fallen from 351 in 2018 to 311 in 2022.

While improvement in water quality has been observed in 180 out of 351 stretches, the most polluted stretches continue to remain the same.

The CPCB monitors water quality at 4,484 locations in 28 states and seven UTs including rivers, lakes, creeks, drains, and canals. It classifies rivers based on Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) - into five categories, namely Priority I to V.

BOD levels above 3 mg/L are called polluted locations. Two or more polluted locations identified on a river in a sequence are considered a "polluted river stretch".

Moreover, stretches with BOD above 30 mg/L are considered Priority I and need the most urgent remediation.

In its 2018 report, CPCB found 45 stretches in Priority I, 16 in Priority II, 43 in Priority III, 72 in Priority IV, and 175 in Priority V.

The latest report counts 46 in Priority I, 16 in P-II, 39 in P-III, 65 in P-IV, and 145 in P-V.

This shows that while there was little to no improvement in the most serious categories, the gains come from river stretches which were comparatively less polluted to begin with.

The report also shows that while Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh had maximum number of Priority I stretches-each at six, Maharashtra had the overall highest number of polluted stretches at 55.

As per the Indian Constitution, 'Water' is a state subject. However, the union government carries out various programmes such as National Water Monitoring Programme and Atal Mission on Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation in collaboration with state governments, and provides funds with technical support.