Lok Sabha Question No. 4051 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-12
Subject: Polluted Rivers
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Nama Nageswara Rao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI,

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4051

ANSWERED ON 12 .12 .2019

## POLLUTED RIVERS

## 4051. SHRI NAMA NAGESWARA RAO

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the major rivers in the country which have become highly polluted and are consid to the health of the people living along its banks and otherwise and if so, the details there ;

(b) whether it is true that there is a need to do desilting and dredging of all the major riv

(c) if so, the details thereof and the action to be taken thereon; and

(d) the details of stringent mechanism is in place to see that all rivers are main tained at regular intervals and to ensure that they do not become the dumping ground for effluents from industries loc these rivers?

## ANSWER

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

(a) C entral  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  in  association  with  the  State  Pollution  Cont (SPCBs)/ Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) monitors the water quality of rivers on a re across the country through a network of monitoring stations. A s per latest report of CPCB, 351 pollute river stretches have been identified on 323 rivers based on the value of Bio - chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).  State - wise & priority - wise number of polluted river stretches is provided in Annexure .

(b) & (c) This  iss ue  of  desilting  has  been  considered  by  Government  since  long.  In  this Government  constituted  a  committee  under  the  chairmanship  of  former  Chairman,  Central Commission, Dr. B.K. Mittal in October, 2001. The Committee found that desilting of ri v rs in general is not  technically  feasible  due  to  several  reasons  like  non - sustainability,  non - availability  of  vast  land required for the disposal of dredged material etc. However, the Committee have suggested d river reaches in waterways path to have minimum depth of water for navigation purpose and desilti river in vulnerable stretches based on model study subject to techno - e onomic viability.

(d) Government of India, vide Notification dated 9 th October 2018, has notified minimum environmental flows to be maintained in river Ganga for stretch from its origin to Unnao (Uttar Pradesh) environmental flow regime is monitored by Central Water Commission.

Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest and  Climate  Change  (MoEF&CC)  in  the  Standard  terms  of Reference (ToR) for conducting the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies for any River  Valley  and  Hydroelectric  Project  have  mentioned  the  norms  for  release  of  environmen which is 30% in monsoon season, 20% in season and 25% in non - monsoon  &  non- lean  season  to  be followed  corresponding  to  flow  of  90%    dependable    year.  These  norms  along  with  the  sit requirements for environmental  flow releases as per the studies are t hen stipulated in the Environment Clearance (EC) letter for compliance.

Further, Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB) ,  SPCBs  and  PCCs  monitor  industries  with respect to effluent discharge standards and take action for non -compliance under  vari ous provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

Annexu re  referred  to  in  reply  to  Part (a)  of  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred Question  No.  4051  to  be answered on the 1 2.12.2019 on ' Polluted Rivers '

State/Union Territory wise and Priority wise number of Polluted River Stretches

| STATE                             | I   | II   | III   | IV   | V   |   Grand Total |
|-----------------------------------|-----|------|-------|------|-----|---------------|
| ANDHRA PRADESH                    |     |      |       | 2    | 3   |             5 |
| ASSAM                             | 3   | 1    | 4     | 3    | 33  |            44 |
| BIHAR                             |     |      | 1     |      | 5   |             6 |
| CHHATTISGARH                      |     |      |       | 4    | 1   |             5 |
| DAMAN, DIU AND DADRA NAGAR HAVELI | 1   |      |       |      |     |             1 |
| DELHI                             | 1   |      |       |      |     |             1 |
| GOA                               |     |      | 1     | 2    | 8   |            11 |
| GUJARAT                           | 5   | 1    | 2     | 6    | 6   |            20 |
| HARYANA                           | 2   |      |       |      |     |             2 |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH                  | 1   | 1    | 1     |      | 4   |             7 |
| JAMMU & KASHMIR                   |     | 1    | 2     | 2    | 4   |             9 |
| JHARKHAND                         |     |      |       | 3    | 4   |             7 |
| KARNATAKA                         |     |      | 4     | 7    | 6   |            17 |
| KERALA                            | 1   |      |       | 5    | 15  |            21 |
| MADHYA PRADESH                    | 3   | 1    | 1     | 3    | 14  |            22 |
| MAHARASHTRA                       | 9   | 6    | 14    | 10   | 14  |            53 |
| MANIPUR                           |     | 1    |       |      | 8   |             9 |
| MEGHALAYA                         | 2   |      |       | 3    | 2   |             7 |
| MIZORAM                           |     |      | 1     | 3    | 5   |             9 |
| NAGALAND                          | 1   |      | 1     | 2    | 2   |             6 |
| ODISHA                            | 1   |      | 3     | 2    | 13  |            19 |
| PUDUCHERRY                        |     |      |       | 1    | 1   |             2 |
| PUNJAB                            | 2   |      |       | 1    | 1   |             4 |
| RAJASTHAN                         |     |      | 1     |      | 1   |             2 |
| SIKKIM                            |     |      |       |      | 4   |             4 |
| TAMIL NADU                        | 4   |      |       | 1    | 1   |             6 |
| TELANGANA                         | 1   | 2    | 2     | 2    | 1   |             8 |
| TRIPURA                           |     |      |       |      | 6   |             6 |
| UTTAR PRADESH                     | 4   |      | 1     | 2    | 5   |            12 |
| UTTARAKHAND                       | 3   | 1    | 1     | 4    |     |             9 |
| WEST BENGAL                       | 1   | 1    | 3     | 4    | 8   |            17 |
| Grand Total                       | 45  | 16   | 43    | 72   | 175 |           351 |

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