TOI Water Summit 2025: Padma Shri awarded scientist says ‘no faecal bacteria found’ in River Ganga | India News

At the TOI Water Summit 2025, Padma Shri award-winning scientist revealed that he found “no faecal bacteria type elements in the Ganga River” that he could call “unsafe for humans” whilst conducting research at the 2025 Maha Kumbh event.
The event’s first panel discussion, titled ‘Maha Kumbh 2025: Mega Water Management – A Success Story,’ featured special secretary of irrigation and water resources Arvind Chaurasia, Akhilesh Sachan from the irrigation and water resources department, Rajneesh Mehra of Ingeo and scientist Ajal Kumar Sonkar.
Speaking at the first panel discussion with Assistant Editor TOI Shailvee Sharda, Dr Ajay Kumar Sonkar, a Padma Shri renowned scientist, said: “During Maha Kumbh, I came across news that the Central Pollution Control Board says the water is very much contaminated, with pathogenic contamination, and it is disease-causing.”
“The report said the water was filled with coliform bacteria, which was at a very high density from the alarming stage. So I did an investigation and found that no such type of bacteria was found,” he said.
“I collected a water specimen, and when I took it to my lab, I checked the parameters. I was surprised that I didn’t see any such thing in it. I also did not find any elements that I could call unsafe for humans or a disease,” he added.
According to fundamental microbiology principles, coliform bacteria are intestinal bacteria with an incubation temperature of 45°C. They begin to multiply or metabolize at 35°C. However, during the start of the Maha Kumbh, when temperatures were below 10°C, the bacteria remained in a dormant state and could not multiply, he explained.
The discussion highlighted technological innovations and governmental coordination that ensured a successful experience for millions of devotees whilst preserving the Ganga’s sanctity during the 2025 Maha Kumbh.
Addressing Sharda’s question about challenges, Arvind Chaurasia explained: “We build two types of ghats: permanent and temporary. The temporary ghats were so crowded with devotees that the sandbags would shift. We had a limited time of two to three hours, and we supervised from Lucknow. I was getting feedback from the person on the ground, and they explained how they managed everything in those two hours. It was really hard work.”
Responding to the same Sujeet Kumar Tiwari, an engineer, who was on the ground noted: “We expanded and created Sangam Nose and by doing that. Suppose in 2019, only 50,000 people took bath there at a time and now two lakh people participated in the mega event of 2025 at one time.”
Further, Akhilesh Sachan said that: “I was trying to say that there was one thing we hadn’t anticipated before. Like humans, we ensured the water flow from our two dams, calculated the travel time duration, and planned days in advance while monitoring water levels at different control points. But by the end of February, the temperature had started rising at the beginning of the month, and it increased so much that, for one, the water meant for the Rabi crop in the local river’s floodplain zone increased evaporation.”
“We have a Sharda Sahayak system, primarily meant for irrigation, with two escapes, which carries water for irrigation to Jaunpur and Varanasi. It acts as a canal system with release points, which we used as an emergency valve for three days. This allowed us to maintain the water level so that the public received a nearly uniform depth and could bathe very well,” he added.
Rajneesh Mehra of Ingeo Contractor Pvt Ltd. affirmed that the drains were completely sealed with a concrete wall, preventing even a single drop of water from entering the Ganga or Yamuna rivers. He said, “We divided those 23 drains into seven projects, with photographic evidence available at Prayagraj, specifically at the Rajapur drain.”
The panelists also discussed modern techniques, scientific advancements, and coordinated government efforts that ensured a smooth experience for millions of devotees while preserving the purity of the Ganga during the 2025 Maha Kumbh.