Overview

• Using 2022–2023 data from roughly 2,116 river monitoring locations, the CPCB identified 296 polluted stretches across 271 rivers in 32 states and Union Territories.
• Maharashtra recorded the highest number of polluted stretches at 54, underscoring uneven progress across regions.
• River sites unfit for bathing edged down to 807 in 2023 from 815 in 2022, based on the BOD threshold of greater than 3 mg/L.
• The count of the most polluted Priority 1 stretches (BOD over 30 mg/L) declined to 37, with shifts toward mid-tier categories that indicate gradual remediation.
• Notable problem areas include the Yamuna from Palla to Asgarpur in Delhi, the Sabarmati in Ahmedabad, and the Chambal from Nagda to Gandhisagar, as states are directed to prioritize basin management, floodplain protection and sewage treatment.