Ganga in Bengal most severely polluted: WII study

DEHRADUN: A study on pollution levels of Ganga conducted by the Doon-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has revealed that the river is most contaminated in West Bengal as against the popular perception of the river being most polluted in the Kanpur belt of UP.
Scientists of the institute assessed 43 stretches of the river (each of five km) for two seasons for the presence of 13 banned Organo Chlorine Pesticides (OCPs) based on their persistent bio-accumulative and toxic nature and nine extremely toxic heavy metals including lead and chromium.
For the purpose of the study, the river was divided into five zones -- upper zone (Uttarakhand), upper middle zone I (Uttar Pradesh, before confluence with Yamuna river), upper middle zone II (Varanasi, Ghazipur, Mirzapur and Ballia), lower middle zone (Bihar and Jharkhand), and lower zone (West Bengal).
The lower zone comprising West Bengal was found to have the highest concentration of pesticides.
Citing possible reason behind this, Ruchika Shah, the researcher involved in the study said, “In the lower zone, the annual precipitation rate is very high. Higher precipitation leads to more flooding which facilitates the movement of pesticide from agri-fields to the nearby water body.”
A fallout of the high pollutants being found in the Ganga in West Bengal may be suppression of the sensitive aquatic species in the area, scientists said, adding that if this continued, its impact may also be seen in the biodiversity of the Sunderbans.
Pointing out that the holy river has become “a sacred dumping ground of the people,” Shah said that “industrial, municipal and agriculture runoff getting into the water body has the potential to cause serious health effects ranging from neuro-toxicity to endocrine destruction.”
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