NEW DELHI: At a time when many Indian scientific institutions are working to find or repurpose a drug to treat Covid-19 patients, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) — premier central body involved with river rejuvenation works — wants a pilot research project in upper regions of the Ganga as no “virus related studies” have, so far, been carried out in the river.
Underlining that the Ganga water has “special properties which is prominent in upper stretches”, the NMCG has written to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) seeking opinion of its experts for carrying out research on its “clinical effectiveness”.
It, however, in its letter to the ICMR, also noted views of the scientists of CSIRs National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) who categorically told the NMCG that they “do not have proof that Ganga water or sediment has anti-viral properties”. The CSIR-NEERI had earlier carried a study on assessment of water quality and sediment to understand special properties of river Ganga under Namami Gange programme.
The NMCG had on April 24 consulted the CSIR-NEERI scientists after getting proposals from NGO Atulya Ganga and conservationists who sought to undertake clinical studies of treatment of Covid-19 patients with Ganga water.
The CSIR-NEERI scientists told the NMCG that the “overall clinical trial on water alone may not actually yield very useful results, though this would need a good considered opinion of agencies such as IRead More – Source
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