ASSESSMENT OF FEW IMPACTS OF MASS BATHING ON RIVER WATER QUALITY AT PRAYAG DURING MAHA KUMBHA MELA 2013, ALLAHABAD

Saurabh Shukla, Smriti Gupta

Abstract: The primary aim of this study was to assess few impacts on river water quality of mass gathering and taking a holy dip at Triveni Sangam during Maha Kumbha mela 2013 and to make a comparison of few parameters in the pre-mela period and during the mela days. Mid-stream water samples were collected from five locations (ghats) and were analyzed for a few physico-chemical parameters keeping the designated best use classification of rivers & streams in mind. All the ghats were most polluted on 10th, 11th and 12th of February 2013, as maximum people arrived at Sangam on 10th of February, being the most sacred day of ‘Mauni Amavasya’. It was also observed that all parameters were found in low levels at the Saraswati Ghat, which was the least used for bathing by pilgrims and remains least disturbed zone among the sampling sites, whereas almost all parameters were elevated at Main Sangam, the site used most by the pilgrims. Saraswati ghat remained in category ‘A’ of the Designated Best Use classification before and during the mela days, while all the other ghats remained in category ‘D’ during the 90% of the times and very often coming into the ‘C’ category.

Keywords: Mass bathing, Water Quality, Environmental Management, Kumbha Mela, Sanitation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15623/ijret.2015.0410053