New Delhi, Sept. 22 -- 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 ou...