Dolphin Death Raises Questions On Claims Of Cleanliness Of Ganga Water In Kanpur

Kanpur: The discovery of a dead dolphin near the Ganga Bridge in Jajmau is an indicator that the dissolved oxygen content in the Ganga has dropped to dangerous levels. It is being alleged that the water is becoming toxic to aquatic life. Although the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has given a clean chit on water, the reality is that the Ganga has turned black.

Kanpur has plans worth crores of rupees to clean the Ganga, but this incident has brought to light the fact that the claims exist merely on paper. Apart from exposing the tall claims, the dolphin's death has also put departmental infighting into focus as officials from the Forest Department and the UPPCB are not on the same page, and attempts were made to pass the buck.

It is believed that the river pollution is responsible for the dolphins' death, even as the report from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) is still pending. The report will reveal the exact cause of the dolphin's death.

But the fact is that the Ganges is polluted in Kanpur, as more than 10 drains flow directly into it. However, the Municipal Corporation officials never fail to claim that the contaminated water from many drains is being treated through bioremediation.

Moreover, sewage from the hundreds of homes along the Ganges is also flowing into the river unchecked. There are no measures in place to prevent this.

These areas include Rani Ghat, the mound beyond the Jajmau Bridge, areas near Paramat Ghat and Sarasaiya Ghat. Jal Nigam officials claim that a proposal for a project has been submitted to the National Mission for Clean Ganga to untap 14 drains.

Sources say that chromium and other heavy metals released from tanneries in the Jajmau area are the main causes of pollution, along with the domestic sewage flowing directly into the Ganga. Nearly 200 tanneries (leather industrial units) have been operating in the Jajmau area for years. Although all tanneries are instructed to adhere to zero liquid discharge and common effluent treatment plant (CETP) standards, the ground reality is different.

Regional officer of UPPCB Ajit Suman said that currently, 9 to 9.5 million litres per day (MLD) of contaminated water is being released from the tanneries daily. This is being treated in a newly constructed CETP. The CETP is currently under construction, and it is operating at half its capacity of 20 MLD.

“The 36 MLD CETP, which was operational till a few years ago, is now being used by the Jal Nigam to treat sewage water,” he said.

He explained that tannery waste is also treated in a Primary Effluent Treatment Plant (PETP) at the tanneries before the CETP. However, the water flowing into the Ganga may be contaminated through small drains, he said.

Meanwhile, the 210 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Jajmau treats tannery effluent and all sludge from the city area, which is then distributed for irrigation through irrigation channels built in the area beyond Jajmau. This is the responsibility of the Municipal Corporation.

Municipal Commissioner Arpit Upadhyay himself visited the spot on January 5 to see the reality of the drains in Kanpur city, where bioremediation work is being done.

Along with his team, he gathered information about the bioremediation work at Rani Ghat, Gola Ghat, Rameshwar Ghat, Dabka Drain, Satti Chaura and Parmiya Nullah that has been assigned to Organic 121 Scientific Private Limited.

One of the officials, Meenakshi Agarwal, told the Commissioner that the bioremediation process involves altering environmental conditions to enhance the growth of microorganisms and reduce target pollutants. She stated that by the end of the trial period, Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) should be reduced by 40%.

Amid the claims of clean Ganges water, it has come to light that the UPPCB officials had issued a notice to the Jal Nigam officials on November 6, 2025. It is being said that had action been taken at that time, the dolphin could have been saved. Sources said the Pollution Control Board also issued a notice regarding Sheetla Bazaar and Budhiya Ghat drains in Jajmau.

The Ganges River Dolphin is India's national aquatic animal that can only survive in clean freshwater. It was declared the national aquatic animal in 2009. It is different from the ocean dolphins. It is a social animal that is friendly to humans.

Forest Department officials claim that a good number of dolphins are present near Bilhore in Kanpur and Bhitoura Ghat, further from Kanpur towards Fatehpur.

A local resident, Rajnath Tripathi, pointed out, “We come here every day from our home at Rani Ghat. For years, the Ganges water has been very dirty. You can see for yourself that the water has turned black. The situation is very bad.”

Meanwhile, a former councillor, Anil Bajpai, categorically said that pollution is responsible for the dolphins' death. “For years, we've seen crores of rupees spent on cleaning the Ganges, but to no avail. The government needs to take a serious look,” he said.

However, the officials are awaiting the IVRI report. “The exact cause of the dolphin's death will soon be revealed. The post-mortem conducted by doctors the day after its death may not have revealed the exact cause. But the Ganges water was contaminated. We are now awaiting the IVRI report,” said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Divya.

Amid claims and counterclaims, the fact remains that the buck is being passed on.

“We are conducting bioremediation work to prevent sewage from flowing into the Ganges. Only treated water is flowing into the river, “said the Municipal Commissioner Arpit Upadhyay.

Meanwhile, Suman went on to state, “We regularly issue notices to the Municipal Corporation, the Jal Nigam and other departments. It's their responsibility to control pollution. Our job is to monitor. The water samples we've collected indicate that the Ganga is clean.”

It needs to be recalled that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed that not a single drop of untreated waste should be discharged into the Ganga. The officials' ignorance amounts to contempt of court. Despite crores of rupees spent on the Namami Gange Mission, the deaths of aquatic life in Kanpur raise serious questions about the mission's success.

Concerned citizens feel that the testing of Ganga waters should not be limited to government labs only. The test reports should be made public by independent institutions like the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. They further suggest that criminal cases should be filed against the tanneries releasing contaminated water and the responsible officials. Meanwhile, 'Red flags' or warning boards should be put up at highly polluted ghats so that people avoid bathing there.

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