46% of rivers in India polluted

Karam Prakash

New Delhi, July 20

Around 46 per cent of the rivers in the country are polluted, revealed an analysis by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) tabled in the Lok Sabha today.

According to the report, the CPCB in 2022 identified 311 polluted river stretches (PRS) on 279 rivers in 28 states and eight UTs across the country. The pollution was determined on the indicators of organic pollution, i.e. biochemical oxygen demand (BOD).

Among the states, Maharashtra had the highest 55 PRS, followed by 18 in Bihar. Punjab had five. The CPCB, in association with state pollution control boards and committees, monitors the water quality of aquatic resources at 4,484 locations across the country. These include 2,108 locations on rivers and 713 on stagnant water bodies.

In a comparative evaluation, the CPCB said the polluted river stretches had decreased from 351 in 2018 to 311 in 2022. An improvement had been seen in 180 of the 351 PRS identified in 2018. Of the 180 PRS, 106 stretches had shed the polluted tag while the remaining 74 had been shifted to ‘lower priority class’.