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The number of polluted river stretches (PRS) in India has decreased marginally from 351 in 2018 to 296 in 2025, reflecting a 15.67 per cent decline over seven years, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) latest report on PRS.
The National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP), executed by CPCB in collaboration with State Pollution Control Boards, currently monitors 4,736 locations across the country, including 2,155 on rivers. The report, based on river water quality data from 2022-23, shows that 62 per cent (1,299) of 2,116 river locations monitored complied with the Bio-Chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) criteria of less than 3.0 mg/L, as notified under the Primary Water Quality Criteria for outdoor bathing. "A comparative assessment of the PRS identified in the present study with the previous assessment of PRS in 2018 reveals that the total number of PRS has decreased from 351 (in2018) to 296 (in 2025)," the report's summary read. CPCB has been identifying polluted river stretches since 2009. Earlier assessments recorded 150 PRS in 2009, 302 in 2015, and 351 in 2018. While 70 per cent of rivers monitored in 2015 were polluted, only 46 per cent were identified as polluted in 2022, showing a gradual improvement. Detailed analysis indicates that of 220 polluted stretches identified in 2018, 149 are no longer classified as polluted due to BOD compliance. These stretches are spread across Andhra Pradesh (3), Assam (41), Bihar (1), Goa (10), Gujarat (10), Himachal Pradesh (2), Jammu & Kashmir (3), Jharkhand (2), Karnataka (4), Kerala (9), Madhya Pradesh (11), Meghalaya (5), Mizoram (6), Nagaland (4), Odisha (14), Puducherry (1), Punjab (2), Sikkim (2), Telangana (4), Tripura (5), Uttarakhand (1), and West Bengal (9). Additionally, 81 previously identified polluted stretches have shifted to lower priority classes, located in Andhra Pradesh (2), Assam (1), Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli (1), Gujarat (3), Jammu & Kashmir (2), Jharkhand (1), Karnataka (15), Kerala (4), Madhya Pradesh (3), Maharashtra (29), Meghalaya (1), Mizoram (1), Nagaland (1), Odisha (3), Rajasthan (1), Tamil Nadu (2), Telangana (3), Uttar Pradesh (2), Uttarakhand (2), and West Bengal (4). However, 85 stretches retained their priority class from 2018, indicating no change in water quality, including 25 in Priority-I, 4 in Priority-II, 5 in Priority-III, 5 in Priority-IV, and 46 in Priority-V. CPCB attributed improvements in river water quality to state-led initiatives in sewage infrastructure development, industrial effluent management, waste management, and enforcement of pollution prevention regulations. (ANI)
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