The National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government over allegations that inadequate sanitation facilities at the Maha Kumbh Mela have led to open defecation along the banks of Ganga river.The notices were also issued to Prayagraj Mela Authority and the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UP PCB) after an application was filed by one Nipun Bhushan seeking Rs 10 crore in environmental compensation from the Uttar Pradesh government. The application claimed that the State failed to prevent large-scale pollution owing to poor deployment of sanitary facilities at the Kumbh Mela site, the Bar and Bench reported.The application also cited a November 2024 water quality test, which recorded Fecal Coliform levels at downstream Sangam at 3,300 MPN (Most Probable Number) per 100 milliliters, exceeding the permissible limit of 2,500 MPN/100 ml set by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).The presence of such contaminants could lead to diseases like cholera, hepatitis A and polio, endangering millions of devotees taking a holy dip in the Ganga, it was contended.
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