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		Pollution UpdateDate of collection of sample:-28/04/2003 Time of collection:- 0700 hrs Location:- Tulsi Ghat Temperature ambient:- 32 degree Celsius Temperature water:- 28.5 degree Celsius Total dissolved solids:- 290 Turbidity:-22 pH:- 8 Dissolved oxygen (in situ):- 7 Fecal coliforms:- 68000/100 ml

You've probably spotted the pollution ticker on our site, providing fecal coliform measurements of the Ganga, taken at Tulsi Ghat in Varanasi. Our Clean Ganga laboratory there provides five fresh readings every week. But why do we do this? And what are the public health implications? www.cleanganga.com explores this dark underbelly that originates in (where else?) the belly.


Most coliform are relatively harmless micro-organisms that live in large numbers in the intestines of warm and cold-blooded animals, aiding in digestion of food.

A specific sub-group is the fecal coliform bacteria. The most common member of this sub group is Escherichia coli, commonly referred to as E. coli.

Drinking water with high fecal coliform counts can lead to pathogenic diseases, including typhoid, viral and bacterial gastro-enteritis, ear infections and hepatitis A. While the raw water treatment facilities (raw water is water that is treated and then sent along municipal pipes to households) of municipalities do deal with this problem, the rural consumer may not be as lucky.

At the same time, treatment of raw water does not necessarily solve the problem. It merely alters the danger. Disinfectants used to control microbial pathogens may produce toxic or carcinogenic by-products. In all probability, even treated water is a slow motion killer for urbanites.

Amazingly, Indian pollution-control agencies such as the Central Pollution Board (CPCB) and the state Pollution Control Board (PCBs) do not monitor fecal coliform. They are content to monitor another measurement called Total Coliform, in accordance with Indian Standards.

Point Counterpoint
The greater the levels of total/fecal coliform in the river, the higher the quantities of the disinfectant required (which in the Indian context is in the form of alum and chlorine). When this is the case, the consumer is given a reprieve from pathogens, but is then exposed to toxins and carcinogens.

Table 1 indicates that the Total Coliform count conforming to Indian standards is 500 MPN (Most Probable Number). This count varies from 180 (in some stretches in West Bengal) to 4,600,000 in downstream Kanpur. This is 9,200 times the Indian standard (Table no 2).

These figures were made available to www.cleanganga.com by the Central Pollution Control Board. And what they really mean is not difficult to determine: The River Ganga is dangerously polluted and a health hazard some 17 years after the ambitious Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was launched. Over Rupees 1,000 crores (10 billion rupees, USD$217 million) have been spent on this cleanup plan.

Table 1: Standards of acceptable Total Coliform in inland surface water, according to Indian Standards 2296 - Most Probable Number (MPN) per 100 ml water.

Classification	Use	Acceptable Standard
A	Drinking water without conventional treatment, but after disinfecting	50 or less
B	Outdoor bathing	500
C	Drinking water source with conventional treatment followed by disinfecting	5000
D	Propagation of wildlife and fisheries	No standard
E	Irrigation, industrial cooling & controlled waste disposal	No standard

Source: Ministry of Environment and Forests and Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi.

The figures in Table 1 imply that it is inadvisable to bathe in a river, when the Total Coliform count exceeds 500. Yet, tens of thousands of pilgrims bathe in different towns and cities along Ganga. Each time they do it, they are exposed to a horrendous chemical cocktail of pollution.

To put the matter in perspective, the United States Environment Protection Agency (USEPA) recommendation of fecal coliform is a maximum 200 MPN, for any type of body contact sport. In other words, if the fecal coliform count is greater than 200 MPN, citizens are advised against swimming and surfing. Also, unlike their Indian counterparts, USEPA does not recommend Total Coliform as an indicator of polluted water.

Table no 2: Total coliform count at different points along the Ganga

Location	State	Date recorded	Total coliform
Rishikesh	Uttaranchal	17/8/98	300
Haridwar	Uttaranchal	26/8/98	1700
Kannauj D/S	Uttar Pradesh	3/2/98	21,00,000 (2.1 million)
Allahabad	Uttar Pradesh	6/8/98	28,000
Kanpur D/S	Uttar Pradesh	5/2/98	46,00,000 (4.6 million)
Patna	Bihar	18/2/98	24,000
Raj Mahal	Bihar	27/2/98	24,000
Ulluberia	West Bengal	21/8/98	180
Dakshineshwar	West Bengal	25/8/98	180

The Sankat Mochan Foundation is an NGO in Varanasi that measures fecal coliform at its own laboratory. In the winter of 2001, lab samples showed a range of 30,000-40,000 MPN. If the average of 35,000 MPN is considered, this Varanasi reading at Tulsi Ghat is about 175 times the USEPA recommendation of 200 colonies per 100 ml. This is the true nature of contamination that ritual bathers along the historic ghats are exposed to, day in and day out.

Fecal coliform isn't even an issue in our country...yet.