In Lok Sabha on Thursday, the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Prahlad Singh Patel stated that the government has received no request from the National Mission for Clean Ganga to conduct research on the use of Ganga river water as a treatment for the Covid-19 virus, news agency ANI reported.
"However, NMCG had sent two proposals viz., "Ganga Sediments could immunize against COVID19" and "Treatment of COVID-19 by Ganga Jal" on 28.4.2020 to Indian Council of Medical Research for examination at their end," reads the official statement issued by the government.
According to studies done by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs), and other organisations to evaluate the impact of lockdown on the water quality of the river Ganga and its tributaries, it has been observed that there is no clear trend in the various water quality parameters observed for various stretches of the river Ganga and its tributaries.
However, according to CPCB and SPCB reports, there has been varying degrees of improvement in a few water quality parameters. This improvement may be attributed to a number of factors, including increased fresh water availability because of rainfall in the river catchment, the absence of industrial effluent discharge, and decreased human activity like bathing restrictions, ritual disposal restrictions, restricted tourism, solid waste, mass washing of clothes, etc. during the lockdown period.
During the lockdown, it was assured that all sewage treatment facilities (STPs) continued to operate normally. Guidelines were created to ensure that all safety procedures be followed while STPs continue to operate. The many initiatives to reduce river pollution have been maintained.