The quality of bathing water in the Ganga in Varanasi was within acceptable limits in the last 4 years
The quality of river Ganga's bathing water in Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was found to be within the acceptable limits in the last four years, Satya Pal Singh, Union Minister of State for Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation said in Parliament on Monday.
The other parameters at the monitoring sites at Varanasi like Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and faecal coliforms had also not deteriorated since 2014, he added.
"Comparison of observed water quality of last four years at Varanasi (2014-2017) with bathing water quality criteria indicates that dissolved oxygen, which is an indicator of river health has been found to be within acceptable limits of notified primary bathing water quality criteria and satisfactory to support the ecosystem of river across all season and also for almost entire stretch of river Ganga," Mr Singh said in a written response to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
He added that under the Namami Gange programme, the Central Pollution Control Board was carrying out water-quality monitoring of the Ganga from Gangotri to West Bengal.