India, Feb. 18 -- The Ganga River in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, a revered spiritual site, is facing significant contamination, with government agency finding alarming levels of 'faecal coliform' bacteria amid the Maha Kumbh Mela during which over 50 crore people have taken dip in the Ganges there.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Monday informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that various locations in Prayagraj during the ongoing Maha Kumbh were not conforming to the primary water quality for bathing with respect to the level of faecal coliform.

Faecal coliform bacteria are found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals and humans. They are commonly used as indicators of potential contamination in water, as their presen...