Mahakumbh-2025: From Bijnor to Ballia, zero discharge for clean Ganga

Industrial units of over a dozen districts in Uttar Pradesh will remain shut under a roster to keep the Ganga clean for devotees during Mahakumbh-2025 in Prayagraj.
CM Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said in Prayagraj that the Ganga and the Yamuna will remain uninterrupted and clean during the next year’s mega religious fair with zero discharge from Bijnor to Ballia. The closure will be regulated keeping in view the bathing days when crores of devotees are expected to visit the mega fair.
“Our work plan will be ready by November and the execution of the same will start according to the Mahakumbh. Roster for industrial units will be distributed and executed on district and individual industrial unit level to ensure best results,” said Sanjeev Kumar Singh, member secretary, UP Pollution Control Board.
At least four dozen big industrial units are likely to get the orders to keep their work suspended apart from smaller units that will be given directives by the local municipal offices in respective places, including Fatehgarh, Kannauj, Hardoi, Bithoor, Kanpur, Mirzapur, Ghazipur, Kasganj and Farrukhabad.
While the pollution control board will ensure closure of units, the municipal bodies will have to ensure they do not allow discharge of untreated sewage water into the river.
In the past years during the Mahakumbh, sewage water was either treated or temporarily diverted. This time the focus is to allow only treated water. In Prayagraj also, all the nullahs going into the river will get a sewage treatment plant connected.
Industrial effluent are known to cause illnesses related to skin, gastro, typhoid and even renal problem. Keeping this in view, the state government has asked the departments to bring about a plan to keep the river water clean.
Even before the actual closure and sewage treatment plants start working, an evaluation of the two aspects will be done. Industries will be asked to shut units on a trial basis also to check improvement in water quality.
The respective pollution control board officials will assess effluent generated from each industry and the data will be used to plan closure accordingly.