Seven years on, mission to clean the Ganga remains a work in p...

Seven years on, mission to clean the Ganga remains a work in progress

Sept. 2, 2023

Why in news?

As per one report, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has, so far, installed treatment plants capable of treating just 20% of the sewage estimated to be generated in the five major States that lie along the river.

What’s in today’s article?

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: Seven years on, mission to clean the Ganga remains a work in progress

So far, NMCG has installed treatment plants capable of treating just 20% of the sewage estimated to be generated in the five major States that lie along the river.
- The treatment plants will be capable of treating 60% of sewage by December 2026.
Projects to set up sewage treatment plants(STPs) and sewerage networks are at the heart of the Namami Ganga mission, and account for about 80% of the overall project outlay.
As of July 2023, STPs capable of treating 2,665 MLD have actually been commissioned, and are now functional.
The river’s water quality is now within prescribed limits of notified primary bathing water quality.
- A conspicuous sign of the improvement in water quality along the Ganga was a rise in the dolphin population — both adult and juvenile — from 2,000 to about 4,000.
The NMCG is now working to develop a water quality index, on the lines of the air quality index, to be able to better communicate about river-water quality.

Challenges faced during project implementation

Several plants took time to be commissioned as there were problems with land acquisition.
In many instances, the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) needed revision.
- DPRs prescribe all the steps necessary to execute a project, and the roles of agencies, Centre, State and the private contractors.
Though NMCG is a ₹20,000 crore mission, the government has so far given in-principle approval for projects worth ₹37,396 crore.
Of this, only ₹14,745 crore has been released to States for infrastructure work, as of June 2023.