Why in News?
- The Jal Shakti Ministry’s National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) cleared eight projects worth ₹638 crore under the Namami Gange Programme.
What’s in Today’s Article?
- About Namami Gange Programme
- What are the Key Achievements under the Programme?
- News Summary Regarding New Projects under the Programme
About Namami Gange Programme:
- It is an integrated conservation mission, approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crores.
- It is administered by the Ministry of Jal Shakti's Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, to accomplish the twin objectives of -
- Effective abatement of pollution,
- Conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
- The program would be implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its state counterpart organisations i.e., State Program Management Groups (SPMGs).
- NMCG is the implementation wing of National Ganga Council (NGC), which replaced the National Ganga River Basin Authority.
- NGC was created in 2016 under the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016, and is headed by the PM.
- In order to implement the programme, a three-tier mechanism has been proposed for project monitoring comprising of:
- A high-level task force chaired by Cabinet Secretary assisted by NMCG at the national level,
- State level committee chaired by Chief Secretary assisted by SPMG at the state level and
- District level committee chaired by the District Magistrate.
- Its implementation has been divided into -
- Entry-Level Activities (for immediate visible impact),
- Medium-Term Activities (to be implemented within 5 years of time frame) and
- Long-Term Activities (to be implemented within 10 years).
What are the Key Achievements under the Programme?
- Creating Sewage Treatment Capacity: 98 sewage projects have been completed in the states of UK, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, etc.
- Creating River-Front Development: The projects for the construction, modernisation, and renovation of 267 Ghats/Crematoria and Kunds/Ponds have been initiated.
- River Surface Cleaning: River Surface cleaning for collection of floating solid waste from the surface of the Ghats and River and its disposal are afoot and pushed into service at 11 locations.
- Biodiversity Conservation: Cadre of volunteers (Ganga Praharis) have been developed and trained to support conservation actions in the field
- Public Awareness: Ganga Praharis and Ganga Doots are engaged in spreading awareness through planting trees, cleaning ghats, Ganga Aarti, painting and poems.
- Industrial Effluent Monitoring: Regulation and enforcement through regular and surprise inspections of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) is carried out for compliance verification against stipulated environmental norms.
- Deploying best available knowledge and resources across the world: Clean Ganga has been a perennial attraction for many international countries that have expertise in river rejuvenation.
News Summary Regarding New Projects under the Programme:
- The projects include the rejuvenation of river Hindon, a tributary of the Yamuna, stretches of which rank as among the most polluted in the country.
- A project for the development of seven ghats in Prayagraj was also approved, as part of preparations for the Mahakumbh in 2025.
- These ghats will have amenities such as areas for bathing, changing rooms, universal access ramp, drinking water points, floodlights, kiosks and landscaping.
- Two more sewage treatment projects were approved, one each in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
- In Bihar, a project to construct three STPs was approved to prevent the flow of polluted water into the river Kiul, a tributary of the Ganga.
- In Madhya Pradesh, one common effluent treatment plant (CETP) was approved to prevent the flow of polluted water into the river Kshipra, which is a sub-tributary of the Yamuna.
- Another project for ghat development was approved for Haridwar, Uttarakhand where Akhand Param Dham ghat will be constructed.
