Devotees gather to take a dip at the Sangam to mark Maghi Purnima at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. | Photo Credit: REUTERS The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that the water at the Sangam during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj was fit for bathing after taking the “median” value of faecal coliform (microbes from human and animal excreta) at the confluence into consideration. This is in contrast to the CPCB’s statement last month, which deemed the water quality unfit due to high levels of faecal coliform. Data on the CPCB website, however, show that faecal coliform levels exceeded the “desired” and “maximum permissible” levels on multiple days during the Maha Kumbh. In a report dated February 28 and uploaded on the NGT’s website on March 7, the CPCB stated that statistical analysis revealed median values of pH, dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and faecal coliform at various ghats were “within the criteria/permissible limits for bathing water”. According to the report, the CPCB considered the “median value” of …