The sacred river Godavari raises near Trimbak in Nashik and flowing through the states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh (with a total length of 1,465 km and basin of 31 mha) empties into the Bay of Bengal. The major sources of pollution load of the Godavari are agricultural runoff, urban wastes and industrial effluents.
The average annual use of chemical fertilizers in the basin area is 49.34 kg/ha which is more than twice of the national average.
The total consumption of pesticides is 21,586 tons. The total BOD load is 998 tons of which 17.94 per cent is from industrial sources. The urban sector contributes 414 tons of BOD load. The BOD value is more than 3 mg/1 throughout the upper course of the river in Maharashtra.