Maha tops list with 54 polluted river stretches: CPCB report
Of the 54 polluted river stretches in Maharashtra, two fall under the priority 1 category; five under priority 2; nine under priority 3; 14 under priority 4; and 24 under priority 5
With as many as 54 polluted river stretches, Maharashtra has emerged as the state with the highest number of such stretches according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB’s) latest technical report published on September 23 and uploaded online on September 27. Six out of the 54 polluted river stretches located in the Pune, Solapur and Mumbai districts fall under the most critical category.
Of the 54 polluted river stretches in Maharashtra, two fall under the priority 1 category; five under priority 2; nine under priority 3; 14 under priority 4; and 24 under priority 5. The Kalu in Thane and the Mithi in Mumbai are listed as priority 1 rivers; while the Bhima in Solapur along with the Mula, Mula-Mutha and Pawana in Pune are listed as priority 2 rivers. The Bindusara in Beed, which recently witnessed severe floods, and the Godavari in Nanded are the only rivers from Marathwada classified as priority 3. By contrast, most rivers in Marathwada and Vidarbha are classified as priority 4 and 5, reflecting the widening spread of pollution across the state’s water bodies.
The report notes that 29 river stretches in Maharashtra have shown improvement in water quality, including the Mula between Bopodi and Aundhgaon; Mutha between Khadakwasla and Shivajinagar; and Indrayani between Moshigaon and Alandi. At the same time, seven stretches have showed further deterioration even as two new stretches have been identified as polluted—the Burai in Dhule district before its confluence with the Tapi near Mukudas village; and Mutha in Pune district near Khadakwasla dam.
Going by comparative data, Maharashtra is seen to have consistently topped the list of polluted river stretches, with 53 in 2018; 55 in 2022; and 54 in 2025. While critically polluted stretches have reduced from nine in 2018 to just two this year, there has been a sharp rise in lower-category stretches. Priority 4 stretches have risen from 10 in 2018 to 15 in 2025; while priority five stretches have nearly doubled from 14 to 24 in the same period.
Furthermore, the report reveals that several rivers nationwide continue to exceed safe limits for biochemical oxygen demand (BoD) – 3 mg/l for bathing standards and an upper cap of 30 mg/l. In some cases, levels have crossed 100 mg/l. Mumbai’s Mithi river, which recorded 210 mg/l in 2023, has been declared the most polluted river in the country. Although it has shown improvement in 2024 with 80 mg/l, the pollution remains far above permissible levels. Meanwhile, there has been a decline in the overall number of polluted river stretches since 2018 due to collective rejuvenation efforts and better monitoring. The National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP) has also expanded significantly; from 1,533 river monitoring locations in 2017 to 2,155 in 2023, providing more comprehensive data for action.
Shailaja Deshpande, founder-member, Living River Foundation, and part of the Pune River Revival Citizens’ Group, said that pollution monitoring needs to go beyond traditional parameters such as BoD and CoD. “Pollution control boards must also assess other critical factors that directly impact human health and aquatic life, such as heavy metals, phosphates, microplastics and other chemicals. Unfortunately, these do not find any mention in CPCB or MPCB reports,” she said.
She further noted that Pune has already witnessed an outbreak of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and several fish kill incidents in the last two years. “These are clear signs of water quality plummeting to dangerous levels. It is high time pollution control boards look beyond the conventional indicators and re-prioritise river stretches accordingly,” Deshpande said.
