- Title: Pollution levels in India's holy Ganges drop after virus lockdown
- Date: 5th April 2020
- Summary: VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (APRIL 04, 2020) (ANI -NO USE INDIA) BOATS ANCHORED IN INDIA'S HOLY GANGES RIVER MAN ROWING BOAT MORE OF BOATS ANCHORED VARIOUS OF WATER IN RIVER VARIOUS OF RIVER FLOWING (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) PROFESSOR, INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY, P.K. MISHRA, SAYING: "You will see improvement in almost all parameters (of water quality). There are some (parameters) where improvement is not seen. But we have generally observed that there is an improvement of about 30 to 50 percent in parameters so this is a big improvement in 15 days." VARIOUS OF GANGES RIVER FEW PEOPLE AT RIVERBANK VARIOUS OF GANGES RIVER (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) VARANASI RESIDENT, SOMNA VISHWAKARMA, SAYING: "The biggest reason (for improvement of water quality of Ganges River) that all the factories are closed. The meat and fish that used to be cut by people (has stopped) so the dirty water that used to flow (in the river) has become pollution-free (in this case). People are not bathing at riverbanks of the Ganges, they are not washing clothes. So, if this is the case in 10 days, you can understand that if this continues for more days then the Ganges can become pure and clean like before." KANPUR, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA (APRIL 04, 2020) (ANI -NO USE INDIA) GANGES RIVER BIRDS FLYING OVER RIVER GANGES RIVER MAN ROWING BOAT IN RIVER MAN DRINKING WATER FROM RIVER GANGES RIVER FLOWING (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) KANPUR RESIDENT, HARI LAL, SAYING: "The Ganges (River) has been flowing since eternity. A bit of garbage is seen time to time but as compared to before the water of Ganges (River) is clean." NEW DELHI, INDIA (APRIL 04, 2020) (ANI -NO USE INDIA) SUN SETTING YAMUNA RIVER FLOWING VARIOUS OF YAMUNA RIVER BRIDGE/YAMUNA RIVER VARIOUS OF BIRDS SITTING ON TREE YAMUNA RIVER
- Embargoed: 19th April 2020 08:40
- Keywords: Ganges River India Kanpur Varanasi Yamuna clean river coronavirus health lockdown pollution water quality
- Location: VARANASI, KANPUR, UTTAR PRADESH/NEW DELHI, INDIA
- City: VARANASI, KANPUR, UTTAR PRADESH/NEW DELHI, INDIA
- Country: India
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA001C87R77Z
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Water quality of India's holiest Ganges River significantly improved amid the ongoing 21-day lockdown announced by Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to tackle coronavirus, said experts on Saturday (April 04).
Being one of the largest rivers in India and revered for its religious importance among Hindus, the river that stretches from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, is a destination for waste produced by hundreds of factories. Over three-quarters of the sewage generated in the towns and cities of India's crowded northern plains flows untreated into the Ganges.
However, 1.3 billion people staying indoors to avert a massive outbreak of coronavirus infections and industries being shut during the lockdown has brought a staggering fall in the inflow of waste and pollutants in the river.
Another major river and a tributary of Ganges, Yamuna that flows through Taj Mahal city of Agra and New Delhi has also become comparatively cleaner with the effluent discharge being stopped.
India has reported 3030 cases and 77 deaths.
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