Untreated Covid waste in Ganga to have long-time pollution impact

LUCKNOW: Even as environment bodies express concern over burying of corpses along rivers, experts believe that the untreated non-biodegradable Covid waste such as masks and PPE kits, will also have a longtime negative impact on the biodiversity of the Ganga.

“While the corpses buried on the river banks or submerged in the river act as a potent source of pollution and infection, the other waste submerged in the river is equally dangerous and will remain a source of pollution for a longer period of time due to its nonbiodegradable nature,” said Shashikant Shukla, an environmentalist who has worked closely with the National Mission for Clean Ganga.

“Like any other river, Ganga has a unique ecology which is under threat because the volume of pollutants being dumped in the river seems to have increased in the past few months,” he added.

Reportedly, an array of nonbiodegradable waste, including personal protective gear, gloves, masks and medical waste is being dumped in the river despite restrictions. These pollutants remain dumped in the river for a long period of time. According to experts, at least 15 to 25% more medical waste has been dumped in the river in April and May. As per a recent study, the decomposed plastic waste, including medical and fishing equipment, leads to pollutants which cause habitat degradation and pollution of aquatic life.

“We have to understand that the Ganga is already under stress due to large amount of untreated sewage from various points. This lead to rise in concentration of fecal coliforms of over a 100 million per 100 ml of water, making water unfit even to bathe in.

Now the river is being choked with pollutants related to management of Covid-19 which will further pollute its water,” said Ravi Kant Singh, another environmentalist who works for saving the Ganga.

Along with the main river, waste was also dumped in major tributaries like the Gomti and Ramganga. This would affect water quality in the tributaries, eventually adding to the pollution burden of the river, say the greens.

Considering the spike in pollution, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) have been tasked to assess the change in water quality of the river due to pollutants added in the previous months. The pollution control bodies have sought help from the experts of Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR).

“We sent a team of experts from IITR to Prayagraj who have collected samples for testing in their lab in Lucknow on the request of CPCP and UPPCB.

The team will assess the physiochemical changes observed in the water of the Ganga,” said SK Barik, who is holding the charge of director, IITR. “The team will complete its analysis and submit its report by the end of this week,” he added.

The CPCB and UPPCB have also started a drive to identify major points on the banks of the Ganga where corpse were reported to have been buried. The pollution board team will also assess the amount of untreated and non-biodegradable medical waste dumped in the river.

CPCP AND UPPCB, WITH HELP FROM IITR EXPERTS WILL STUDY CHANGE IN QUALITY OF THE RIVER WATER