New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has observed that the health of crores of pilgrims visiting the Maha Kumbh fair will be impacted if effective steps are not taken to prevent the discharge of sewage into the Ganga in Prayagraj.
The 40-day Maha Kumbh Mela, expected to draw millions of devotees from across the globe, is scheduled to commence on January 14 with the Makar Sankranti ‘snan’ (holy bath) and will conclude on February 26 with the Mahashivratri snan.
The green body was hearing a plea claiming 50 drains were discharging sewage directly into river Ganga, in an eight-km stretch from Rasulabad in the city to the Sangam (confluence of river Ganga and Yamuna).
In September this year, the tribunal had formed a high-powered committee (HPC) under the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary and directed it to submit a report about the preventive measures........