Where Ganga Meets the Bay of Pollution

Where Ganga meets the Bay of Pollution

A paper titled ‘Pollution and its consequences at Ganga Sagar mass bathing in India’, was published recently in the journal Environment, Development and Sustainability. An exponential increase in the number of pilgrims coming to the Ganga Sagar Mela has been responsible for the worsening water pollution, prompting scientists to raise serious concerns about the likely outbreak of several diseases.

Key Findings of the study:

1. The number of pilgrims descending on the Sagar Island to take a dip at the place where the Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal, has risen from 2 lakh in 1990 to 20 lakh in 2018.
2. A sharp deterioration in water quality parameters between the pre-mela and post-mela period at Sagar Islands was noted.
3. For instance, the concentration of faecal coliform bacteria, which was 22 MPN (most probable number) in 100 ml of water two weeks before the mela, was found to be 9,963 MPN two weeks after the mela.
4. Moreover outbreak of diseases like cholera, dysentery, and skin disease was predominant in the post-Ganga Sagar Mela period.

Ganga Sagar Mela:

Ganga Sagar Mela is India's biggest fair held in Sagardwip, West Bengal and witnesses a large number of people pouring in. Celebrated with great vigour and enthusiasm, the festival has a cultural and spiritual significance where pilgrims dip themselves in the holy waters of Ganga to purify their souls. Held during the winters, the Mela is an annual gathering of pilgrims which see a number of rituals, lit lamps and chanting in and around Sagardwip. It is held every year during Makar Sankranti.

The focus of the administration is mostly on managing the mela, but it should also manage the pollution with sustainable strategies. The wastewater treatment plant can be set up to make the mela plastic-free to prevent plastics from clogging the ocean

Sagar Islands

Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the Continental Shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km south of Kolkata. This island forms the Sagar CD Block in Kakdwip subdivision of South 24 Parganas district in the Indian State of West Bengal.

Sagar Island is a part of Sundarbans, it does not have any tiger habitation or mangrove forests or small river tributaries as is characteristic of the overall Sundarban delta. This island is a place of Hindu pilgrimage.