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Maharashtra Tops List of Polluted River Stretches, Mithi River Declared Worst
29 Sep
Summary
- Maharashtra has the highest number of polluted river stretches in India
- Mithi River in Mumbai is the most polluted river in the country
- Pollution monitoring needs to assess heavy metals, microplastics, and other emerging threats
According to the latest report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), as of September 2025, Maharashtra has emerged as the state with the highest number of polluted river stretches in India, with a total of 54 such stretches. Six of these stretches are classified as the most critical, located in the Pune, Solapur, and Mumbai districts.
The report further reveals that the Mithi River in Mumbai has been declared the most polluted river in the country, with biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels reaching a staggering 210 mg/l in 2023, far exceeding the permissible limit of 30 mg/l. Although the pollution levels have shown some improvement in 2024, with BOD levels dropping to 80 mg/l, the river remains heavily contaminated.
Experts have called for a comprehensive overhaul of pollution monitoring practices, urging the authorities to assess a wider range of parameters beyond traditional indicators like BOD and chemical oxygen demand (COD). They argue that factors such as heavy metals, phosphates, microplastics, and other chemicals, which directly impact human health and aquatic life, must be included in the assessment. This is particularly crucial as Pune has recently witnessed an outbreak of Guillain-Barré Syndrome and several fish kill incidents, which are clear signs of deteriorating water quality.
