Lok Sabha Question No. 2651 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-01
Subject: Rejuvenation of Dying Rivers
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: MANSHANKAR NINAMA, RAYAPATI SAMBASIVA RAO, BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA, RAMACHANDRAN MULLAPPALLY, LAKHAN LAL SAHU, BHARAT SINGH, JUGAL KISHORE SHARMA, P. KUMAR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2651

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.08.2017

## Rejuvenation of Dying Rivers

2651.  SHRI MANSHANKAR NINAMA:

SHRI RAYAPATI SAMBASIVA RAO:

SHRI BHAIRON PRASAD MISHRA:

SHRI MULLAPPALLY RAMACHANDRAN:

SHRI LAKHAN LAL SAHU:

SHRI BHARAT SINGH:

SHRI JUGAL KISHORE:

SHRI P. KUMAR:

Will  the  Minister  of  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  be  pleased  to state:

- (a) whether most of the rivers in the country are drying up/dying and decline in the flow of water in the rivers has been registered;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor, river and State/UT-wise;
- (c) whether the Government has conducted any survey/study in this regard, if so, the details and outcome thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has any plan to rejuvenate/develop and clean the rivers in the country including dying rivers;
- (e) if  so,  the  details  thereof,  State/UT  and  river-wise  including  Krishna,  Godavari, Mandakini, Tavi and Chenab rivers; and
- (f) the other steps/measures taken by the Government in this regard ?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND  CLIMATE  CHANGE  (DR.  HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a) to (c) There are two types of rivers in the country- perennial rivers, in which water remains available throughout the  year and non-perennial rivers,  which  are rain-fed  rivers and in  which  water flows  only  during  the  rainfall  period.  The  flow  in  the  river  is  dynamic parameter  and  depends  on  many  sub-parameters  such  as  rainfall,  its  distribution  and intensity  in  the  catchment,  catchment  characteristics  and  withdrawals/utilization  of  water. Central Water Commission (CWC) carries out hydrological observations on all important/major  rivers  in  the  country.  As  per  information  available  in  CWC,  considering annual average flows of last 20 years, no increasing/decreasing trend in water availability was found in major rivers in the country.

(d) to (f) This Ministry has been supplementing the efforts of the State Governments in abatement  of  pollution  in  identified  stretches  of  various  rivers  under  National  River Conservation Plan (NRCP), which has covered polluted stretches of 31 rivers in 75 towns spread over 14 States at a sanctioned cost of Rs. 4517.82 crore. So far, Central share of Rs.  2066.98  crore  has  been  released  to  the  State  Governments  for  implementation  of various  pollution  abatement  schemes  and  sewage  treatment  plant  (STP)  capacity  of 2446.24 mld (million litres per day) has been created under the NRCP.  The details of rivers covered so far under NRCP, State-wise are at Annexure.

For  pollution  abatement  of  river  Krishna,  works  have  been  taken  up  in  2  towns  of Maharashtra at a sanctioned cost of Rs.28.74 crore and STP capacity of 55 mld has been created under NRCP.  For pollution abatement of river Godavari, works have been taken up in 7 towns in Andhra Pradesh, Telengana & Maharashtra at a sanctioned cost of Rs.118.74 crore  and  STP  capacity  of  185.46  mld  has  been  created  under  NRCP.  For  pollution abatement of river Mandakini at Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, works at a sanctioned cost of Rs.6.20 crore have been taken up for creation of 4.7 mld STP capacity (as Mandakini is a tributary  of  Ganga,  this  work  is  being  handled  by  Ministry  of  Water  Resources  &  River Development from 01.08.2014 onwards). No proposals have been sanctioned under NRCP from the State Governments for abatement of pollution of Tawi & Chenab rivers.

State  Governments, apart from  their  own  budgetary  allocation,  are  also  accessing financial  assistance  for  creation  of  sewerage  infrastructure,  including  sewage  treatment plants, in various cities/towns under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation  (AMRUT)    &  Smart  Cities  Mission  programmes  of  Ministry  of  Urban Development and the 'Namami Gange' programme of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

To control discharge of industrial effluents, the CPCB and respective State Pollution Control  Boards/Pollution  Control  Committees  monitor  industries  with  respect  to  effluents discharge standards and take action for non-compliance under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

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## Annexure

## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (d) to (f) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2651 to be answered on 1 st August, 2017 on 'Rejuvenation of Dying Rivers'

State-wise details of rivers covered under National River Conservation Plan

| S. No.   | State          | Rivers covered                                      |   Sanctioned Cost (Rs. in crore) |   Funds Released (Rs. in crore) |   STP Capacity created (in mld) |
|----------|----------------|-----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh | Godavari                                            |                            21.78 |                          259.8  |                           30    |
| 2        | Telangana      | Godavari & Musi                                     |                           345.72 |                          259.8  |                          621.46 |
| 3        | Jharkhand      | Subarnarekha                                        |                             3.14 |                            4.26 |                            0    |
| 4        | Gujarat        | Sabarmati & Mindola                                 |                           808.53 |                          271.26 |                          285    |
| 5        | Goa            | Mandovi                                             |                            14.09 |                            9.26 |                           12.5  |
| 6        | Karnataka      | Tunga, Bhadra, Tungabhadra, Cauvery & Pennar        |                            66.25 |                           47.83 |                           41.64 |
| 7        | Maharashtra    | Godavari, Tapi, Krishna, Panchganga & Mula Mutha.   |                          1182.86 |                          177.2  |                          260    |
| 8        | Madhya Pradesh | Wainganga, Narmada & Tapti.                         |                            20.16 |                           12.46 |                            7.95 |
| 9        | Odisha         | Brahmini & Mahanadi                                 |                            92.74 |                           61.41 |                           48    |
| 10       | Punjab         | Ghaggar, Beas & Satluj                              |                           774.43 |                          466.16 |                          648.2  |
| 11       | Tamil Nadu     | Adyar, Cooum, Vaigai, Vennar, Cauvery & Tamrabarani |                           905.78 |                          623.65 |                          477.66 |
| 12       | Kerala         | Pamba                                               |                            18.45 |                            7.78 |                            0    |
| 13       | Sikkim         | Rani Chu                                            |                           181.09 |                          111.41 |                           13.83 |
| 14       | Nagaland       | Diphu and Dhansiri                                  |                            82.8  |                           14.5  |                            0    |
| Total    |                |                                                     |                          4517.82 |                         2066.98 |                         2446.24 |