Bihar: Centre collects samples from Ganga to study contamination due to dumping of bodies

After dead bodies were found floating in the Ganga amid COVID-19 case rise, Centre's team has collected samples from various Ganga river banks in Bihar to ascertain river contamination. Bihar Pollution board o Wednesday, stated that the Centre's team had collected samples on June 1 in Buxar & on June 5 in Patna, Bhojpur & Saran. With the samples being sent to Lucknow, the report is awaited.

Centre team collects samples from Ganga to check for contamination

The sample collection is a part of the Centre's study to assess the presence of SARS-CoV-2, or novel coronavirus, in the Ganga as corpses were found dumped in the river during the second Covid wave, and were fished out from districts in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, officials said Monday. The study is being conducted in phases and the first set of samples have already been collected from 13 locations, from Kannauj and Patna. During the virological study, RNA of viruses of interest present in the water will be extracted and subjected to an RT-PCR test to determine the presence of novel coronavirus in it.

Bodies spotted in Ganga

In the second week of May, 40 decomposed bodies surfaced on the banks of Ganga in Bihar raising alarm amongst local citizens and later piled up on Mahadeva Ghat's bank at Chausa town. After being identified to be of COVID-19 patients, Buxar DM said that the bodies 'appear to be 4-5 days old' and added that they will be cremated respectfully. The district administration has alleged that the bodies might have floated from Uttar Pradesh and are of COVID-19 patients. A day later, several bloated and decomposing dead bodies surfaced on the banks of river Ganga in Uttar Pradesh's Ghazipur - which is  55 km away from Buxar.

Soon enough, hundreds of dead bodies were found buried in the sand near river Ganga in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao. According to the District Magistrate (DM), the bodies were found in an area far from the river and then buried by the administration. CM Yogi Adityanath directed the SDRF and PAC police personnel to patrol every river in the state for ensuring that no one immerses the dead bodies in the river as a part of any ritual. Maintaining that every deceased person has a right to be honourably laid to rest, he revealed that the UP government has already earmarked funds for free cremation. The Centre too has directed Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to prevent dumping of dead bodies in the Ganga and its tributaries, and focus on their safe disposal and dignified cremation.