A month after the Centre mandated study was conducted on the Ganga River to assess the presence of novel coronavirus after bodies were fished out of the river in some districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the researchers have concluded that no traces of SARS-CoV-2 was found in the samples collected from the river.
The study was conducted in two phases in which samples were collected from various districts of UP and Bihar like Varanasi, Kanpur, Kannuj, Hamirpur, Unnau, Allahabad, Buxar, Ghazipur, Chhapra and Patna by the National Mission for Clean Ganga. No trace of SARS-CoV-2 was not found in any of the samples collected, said the virologists appointed in the stud, reported the PTI.
RNA of the virus from the water samples was extracted for the purpose and RT-PCR tests were conducted to determine if the samples are infected by Covid-19. The study also analysed the biological characteristics of the river.
Bodies of Covid-19 victims found dumped in Ganga during the peak of the second wave that saw a huge number of fatalities raised concerns about contamination of the water as the river is the key source of drinking water for many villages, local bodies along the rivers. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were badly fit by the second wave following which the Centre asked the states along the Ganga to ensure strict vigilance and check future incidences of people dumping corpses in Ganga and its tributaries.
The study was conducted by the National Mission for Clean Ganga under the Jal Shakti Ministry in collaboration with CSIR’s Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR), Lucknow, the Central Pollution Control Board and the state pollution control boards.
