ALLAHABAD: With the ongoing Magh Mela , thousands are taking a dip into the Ganga to rid themselves of sins. But, the fact is that the river water has become toxic and unfit for bathing.The untreated water from various nullahs in the city is flowing into the Ganga, thus polluting the river water. Besides, the ever-increasing human settlements in Kachar (catchment area of river) area have added to the burden of the river.On Sunday, Team TOI, along with a group of advocates, journeyed on a boat from Kanhiapur to Sangam to trace the pollution level. Starting from Manauri to Kaniapur, Rajapur, Rasulabad, Sankarghat, Talirgunj, Salori to Mori Gate and finally the smaller nullahs -- all were seen flowing into the Ganga, before its confluence with the Yamuna. These nullahs were not only disposing of volumes of human waste, but also the waste from the state TB Hospital (the waste disposal plant, which was constructed by the British and located behind the hospital, has been lying defunct for ages).As far as government action is concerned, Ganga Action Plan (GAP), a Central government project, has proved to be futile. “So far, thousands of crores of rupees have been invested in cleaning up the Ganga, but in vain. Jal Nigam, the body responsible for keeping the river clean, has proved to be inefficient,” alleged Gopal Das Yadav, a former MLA, who had raised the issue in the state assembly in 1988.Since GAP was thought of, both the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) have gone up multifold. But, the city still awaits implementation of three important recommendations of the plan viz constructing treatment plants, pumping stations and laying of sewer lines, added Yadav."During every Magh Mela, Ardh Kumbh Mela and Kumbh Mela, history repeats itself. Seers raise a hue and cry over the change in colour of the river water and threaten to boycott bathing in the river in protest against the pollution. Authorities swing into action and release additional water from Narora Dam, so that the accumulated silt and other impurities get washed off, albeit temporarily. After culmination of the mela, things are back to square one. Perhaps the authorities have the answer to for how long such stop-gap measures would continue to convince the masses,'' said Prof S S Ojha of Allahabad University.At the end of the day, the question when the Ganga would be rid of pollution remains unanswered.