📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka
Religion
Delhi Ghats Fail Chhath Puja Bathing Standards; Only 3 Come Close
✍️ NDTV
🗓 14 Nov 2026, 06:48 AM
👁 24
Under central government standards, no ghat in Delhi currently meets the required water quality for bathing, though three locations are close to the acceptable limit.
A recent assessment of water quality in Delhi reveals that none of the city's ghats currently meet the central government's strict standards for bathing water. The evaluation was conducted in the context of the upcoming Chhath Puja, a festival where devotees traditionally take holy dips. The findings indicate a significant gap between current water conditions and the required safety parameters for public use.
The primary metric used for this assessment is Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), which measures the amount of organic waste, including sewage, present in the water. According to the Centre's guidelines, the BOD level should be 3 mg/L or less for water to be considered safe for bathing. The data shows that while no ghat in Delhi has achieved this threshold, three specific locations are close to meeting this requirement.
This report highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining water quality in urban water bodies. The proximity of three ghats to the standard suggests that targeted cleanup efforts could potentially make these sites viable for the festival. However, until the BOD levels drop to the mandated limit, the water at these sites does not officially qualify as fit for bathing under national standards.
The primary metric used for this assessment is Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), which measures the amount of organic waste, including sewage, present in the water. According to the Centre's guidelines, the BOD level should be 3 mg/L or less for water to be considered safe for bathing. The data shows that while no ghat in Delhi has achieved this threshold, three specific locations are close to meeting this requirement.
This report highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining water quality in urban water bodies. The proximity of three ghats to the standard suggests that targeted cleanup efforts could potentially make these sites viable for the festival. However, until the BOD levels drop to the mandated limit, the water at these sites does not officially qualify as fit for bathing under national standards.