Bijnor: Believe it or not but the UP Pollution Control Board (UPCB) has said that Ganga is now absolutely ‘pure’ in Bijnor. Officials cited the report of samples from the river which were collected from three different locations in the district. “Ganga water is pure and fit for drinking in Bijnor and Amroha districts. In Allahabad, the river water is slightly coloured but is suitable for taking bath,” regional officer of UPCB, GC Verma told TOI.According to officials, the testing of Ganga water was done during the Magh fair from January 1 to February 14.According to the report available with the pollution control board, TDS value in water at Balawali point ranged between 70 to 90 mg per litre as against the permissible value500 mg per litre. The pH content in water, which should be between 6.5 to 8.5, was recorded at 7.70 here. Similarly, calcium, magnesium and chloride were also found to be under the permissible limit.“In Bijnor and Amroha districts, the pollution control board tested the total dissolved solid (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) pH level, calcium, magnesium and chloride in water and found that it is fit for drinking after disinfection,” said Verma.However, the quality of the river water worsens after Amroha as several tributaries flow into Ganga making its water polluted. Verma said that the poor condition of water in Allahabad is because of tributaries like Kali, Ramganga, Gangan, Kosi and Bahela.Interestingly, the water was tested at a time when most distilleries and papers mills along Ganga were shut down in the wake of Magh fair. Also, the report does not contain data on presence of heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, zinc and copper in water.

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