Influence of multidrug resistance bacteria in river Ganges in the stretch of Rishikesh to Haridwar

•Anthropogenic pollution is responsible for MDR bacteria in river Ganga.•Self-purifying property of Ganga was evident with the reduction in bacteria species.•Proper sewerage and treatment is effective in reducing the MDR bacteria. Waterborne pathogens result in around 4% of all deaths and emergence of antimicrobial resistance in the pathogens is a global concern. This paper assesses the bacterial population in river Ganga, and discusses the impact of antibiotics and the emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria (MDR) through horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and anthropogenic activities. Forty-nine bacterial isolates were identified through different biochemical tests in the water samples, and were subjected to eighteen antibiotics of different classes to check the susceptibility. 20 out of 49 bacterial isolates were found to have resistance against the broad-spectrum antibiotic, Imipenem. It was observed that the bacterial species reduces with the movement of water in the river course indicating the self-cleansing nature of river Ganga. It was also observed that the river water in the downstream of STP at Jagjitpur contains Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium difficile and Neisseria spp., absent in upstream samples, indicating requirement of improvement in the disinfection of STP treated water. [Display omitted]