Even as the government vigorously pursues plans to clean up the Ganga, the residents of Varanasi who took part in a survey conducted by The Energy Research Institute (TERI) said that sewage which ends up in the river constitutes a threat to its health.
The study, which was conducted in seven cities, found that 46 per cent of the respondents in Delhi were of the opinion that water quality of the Yamuna is "poor" whereas 74 per cent in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh felt that the water quality of Narmada had improved.
The survey also found that 60 per cent of Suratites were pleased with the efforts of the Gujarat government and the municipal corporation for keeping the Tapti river clean.
In Dibrugarh in Assam, 57 per cent of the respondents found the Bramhaputra's water to be "fair" in terms of quality.
But in Vijaywada, 91 per cent of the respondents expressed concern over the increase of affluents in Krishna river.
Overall, 78 per cent of the respondents were "optimistic" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet Swachh Bharat Abhiyan would bring about an improvement in the quality of rivers.
All respondents (97 per cent) felt there was significant reduction in the flow of a river during the non-monsoon seasons and the main reason for this was the variability of rainfall.
The survey sought respondents' opinion pertaining to rivers and the impact it has on their lives because of degradation.
Approximately 90 per cent of the respondents felt that activities such as cleaning of the pollution in and around the affected area, proper treatment of sewerage and reduction in illegal dumping of waste/effluents into the water along with proper monitoring was crucial for improving the hygiene of a river.
Eighty-nine per cent of the respondents affirmed that the quality of the river flowing through their city had an immediate impact on their health while 81 per cent noted the existence of a link between river water and water-borne diseases.
Ninety-three per cent of the respondents opined that the quality of the environment has an immediate impact on their health. And, while 38 per cent identified water quality as the factor which makes for the most visible impact on health, 32 per cent said it was waste. Another 30 per cent said it was air quality that has the most visible impact on health.
"Majority of the respondents from Surat and Jabalpur felt that the condition of drinking water availability had improved in their city over the past five years and, in case of drinking water quality, the respondents of Cuttack, Surat and Jabalpur felt that it had improved over the past five years," the report said.
