Impact assessment of massive anthropogenic activities during Maha-Kumbh 2013 on biotic and abiotic parameters at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

The Kumbh is internationally famous as earth’s largest gathering of human kind. The Kumbh, 2013 held at Sangam, Allahabad was of 55 days during which over 100 million devotees took holy dip. Some water quality parameters - specific conductance, total dissolved solids, total hardness, dissolved organic matter and chloride in River Ganga at Allahabad was found to be lower during Kumbh than pre and post Kumbh. Microbial load in terms of TPC, Coliforms and E. coli was found to be lower during Kumbh than pre and post Kumbh. The Shanon-Weiner index (H’) of benthos varied from 1.7 to 1.81, 2.13 to 2.26 and 1.42 to 1.63 at before, during and after Kumbh. Chironomids and Tubifex dominated at pre and post Kumbh events. Planktonic abundances showed higher percentage of Myxophycea and Euglenophyceae during pre and post Kumbh than during Kumbh. Analysis of physico-chemical parameters, plankton, macrobenthic invertebrates and microbes suggests that environmental condition was better during Kumbh than pre and post Kumbh, might be due to restriction on the discharge of untreated waste and increased discharge and flow into the ‘Sangam’ from barrages upstream of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers.