Impact of human activities on Ganga River water during Kanwar Mela 2024 in Rishikesh-Haridwar region, Uttarakhand, India
2025
Kumar, Nitish | Rehmaan, Hafeezur
The present investigation was conducted to study the water quality of the Ganga River during Kanwar Mela 2024 concerning physicochemical and microbiological characteristics in the Rishikesh-Haridwar region. Water samples were collected from fifteen designated sites, including six in Rishikesh, seven in Haridwar, and two outlet points—one from the main river stream and one from the Ganga canal. Among all sites, Har ki Pauri Ghat (HKP) exhibited the highest average levels of several key indicators of pollution: TDS (125.04 ± 34.18 mg/l), pH (7.52 ± 0.14), alkalinity (94.06 ± 10.31 mg/ml), total hardness (117.56 ± 16.43 mg/ml) BOD (2.41 ± 0.58 mg/l), COD (7.41 ± 0.87 mg/l). This site also recorded the lowest average level of DO (9.81 ± 0.63 mg/l) and the highest microbial contamination, with total coliform (2008.81 ± 188.25 MPN/100ml) and E. coli (884.8 ± 57.62 MPN/100ml), marking it as the most polluted location. The second most polluted site, Purnanand Ghat (PG) in Rishikesh, showed the highest concentration of fluoride (0.10 ± 0.09 mg/l). These findings indicated that mass bathing and associated religious activities during the Kanwar Mela significantly impacted the water quality of the Ganga River, particularly in densely visited pilgrimage zones, contributing to elevated levels of pollution. The outcomes of this study underscore the urgent need for robust water quality monitoring, public health risk assessment, and the implementation of sustainable water management policies during mass gatherings to protect the ecological integrity of the river and safeguard the health of millions who rely on it for religious, domestic, and agricultural purposes.
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