Indian scientists from the Chandigarh-based Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) have approved the scientific basis of the ‘special power’ of the water of Ganga.
For the first time, the microbiologists discovered many Bacteriophages keeping pure the waters of Ganges. A bacteriophage is a virus which eats bacteria. This study puts a stamp on the self-purifying properties of Ganga water.
As per the reports, Dr Shanmugam Mayilraj, Senior Principal Scientist at the CSIR- Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, said “Ganges not only houses novel viromes but also includes unexplored double-stranded DNA viruses as found in the analysis of the fresh water,”.
He further added, ”These novel viromes were never reported earlier. And these bacteriophages are active against many clinical isolates and can be used against multi-drug resistant or MDR infections”.
Disease Curing Properties
He and his team have discovered 20-25 viruses useful in curing Tuberculosis, Typhoid, Pneumonia, Cholera, Diarrhoea, Meningitis, Dysentery, etc.
Dr Mayilraj told Indian Science Journal, “Recent analysis has shown that the water is enriched with several bacterial groups like Oscillator Phyceae, Flavobacteria, Sphingobacteria, Proteobacteria, while sediments are enriched with ßproteobacteria, a-proteobacteria, Clostridia, Actinobacteria, Sphingobacteria and Deltaproteobacteria,”.
The IMTECH team had collected the samples during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon period from Haridwar to Varanasi. Another sample will be collected as well for a comparative study from Yamuna and Narmada. This will be done to study the difference in Ganges water.
Study Team
Federal Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Ministry, headed by Uma Bharti had deputed the study in November 2014. Also, Nagpur-based National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), National Botanical Research Institute, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research and Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic plants were part of this project.
In December 2016, all the labs involved in the study will submit a compiled report to the government.
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