Lok Sabha Question No. 838 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-11-21
Subject: Ecological Flow of Small Rivers
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Harish Dwivedi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI, DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.

## †838 ANSWERED ON 21.11 .2019

## ECOLOGICAL FLOW OF S MALL RIVERS

## †838. SHRI HARISH DWIVEDI

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Union Government is working on any scheme to make the small rivers and also clean and perennial;

(b) if so, whether the Union Government is doing this job with the help of State Governments; and (c)  if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  parameters  fixed  to  identify  the  rivers  to  make perennial?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI & SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT (SHRI RATTAN LAL KATARIA )

(a)to(c) Cleaning of river is a continuous process and Government of India is supplementing of the State Governments in addressing the challenges of pollution of rivers by providing technical assistance. Financial assistance is provid ed under 'Namami Gange' Programme for the rivers in Ganga basin and under the National River Conservation Programme (NRCP) for the rivers in other basins

For rivers outside Ganga basin', project proposals are received from the State Government from timeto time for taking up pollution abatement works in towns along various rivers, and are c financial assistance on a cost sharing basis under the NRCP subject to their conformity wi guidelines, pollution status, prioritizations, app raisal by independent institutions and availability o funds. The NRCP has so far covered polluted stretches of 34 rivers in 77 towns spread over 1 the country with a sanctioned cost of Rs. 5870.54 crore.  A Central share of Rs.2452.35crore has been released to the State Governments for implementation of various pollution abatement schemes . A sewage treatment capacity (STP) of 2522.03mld (million litres per day)  has  been created unde NRCP resulting in reduction in poll ution load being discharged into the various rivers.

Under Namami Gange Programme, diverse set of interventions for cleaning and rejuvena river  Ganga  and  its  tributaries  have  been  taken  up.  These  include  treatment  of  munici treatment of industrial effluents, drain bio - remediation, river surface cleaning, rural sanitation, ri development,  ghats  and  crematoria  development,  afforestation  &  biodiversity  conservatio outreach programme etc.

State  Governments,  apart  from  thei r  own  budgetary  allocation,  are  also  accessing  fina assistance for creation of sewerage infrastructure, including Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs cities/towns under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Ci ties Mission of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs of the Union Government.

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