Lok Sabha Question No. 1499 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-07-26
Subject: Cleaning of Ganga River and its Tributaries
Ministry: WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANAGA REJUVENATION
Asked by: MUKESH RAJPUT, SUNIL KUMAR SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UN STARRED QUESTION NO. † 1499 ANSWERED ON 26.0 7.201 8

## CLEANING OF GANGA RI VER AND ITS TRIBUTAR IES

## †1499. SHRI MUKESH RAJPUT SHRI SUNIL KUMAR SINGH

Will the Minister of WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION be pleased to state:

(a) the reasons identified for increasing pollution levels in various rivers of the coun Ganga and its tributaries;

(b) whether any measures by the Government are being considered to check and reduce this i pollution level in rivers and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the details of the schemes launched by the Government during the last three years to the pollution in Ganga river and its subsidiaries/tributaries along with the extent of success these schemes including tapping of said tributaries;

(d) the targets fixed by the Government for making the rivers pollution free; and

(e) wh ether the Government has formulated any concrete policy for water conservation and details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION & HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

## ( DR. SATYA PAL SINGH )

( a) to  (c) The major reasons identified for increasing pollution levels in various rivers a pollution and domestic sewage.

Govt.  of  India  is  supplementing  the  efforts  of  the  state  governments  in  addr pollution  of  river  Ganga  by  providing  financial  assistance  to  the  states.  Government approved Namami Gange Programme in May 2015 for conservation of river G anga with total outlay of Rs. 20,000 Crores. Namami Gange Programme is an umbrella programme which integrates previous currently ongoing initiatives by enhancing efficiency, extracting synergies and supplementi more comprehensive & better co ordinated interventions.

Namami  Gange  programme  is  being  carried  out  through  various  coordinated  acti including treatment of municipal sewage, treatment of industrial effluent, river surface sanitation, River Front Development, Ghats and Crematoria, afforestation & biodiversity conservat public outreach etc.

Against the estimated sewage generation of 2953 Million Litres per Day (MLD) fr towns along main stem of river Ganga, the sewage treatment capacity in t he towns along Ganga has increased from 1305 MLD (2014) to 1681 MLD capacity while the projects for creation of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) capacity are at advance stages of completion. In addition, the creation of 769 MLD have been a pproved and are under tendering.

Under Namami Gange scheme, projects are being taken up on subsidiary tributaries o like  Yamuna,  Kali,  Ramganga,  Gomti,  Hindon,  Saryu,  Son,  Gandak,  BurhiGandak,  Kiul, Mahananada and Damodar. Till date 10 proj ects have been taken up on  tributaries namely Yamun Kali, Ramganga, Saryu and Kosi to create STP capacity of 1353.5 MLD.

(d)National Ganga River Basin Authority in its 1 st meeting held on 05/10/2009 has resolved that b 2020 no untreated  municipal sewage or industrial effluent flows into river Ganga.

Cleaning of river is a continuous process and efforts are being made to complete these pr year 2020.

(e)The  National  Water  Policy  (NWP),  2012, formulated  by  Ministry  of  Water  Resources,  River Development  and  Ganga  Rejuvenation,  inter -alia  recommends  adoption  of  various  measures  for conservation,  promotion  and  protection  of  water  resources.  Some  of  the  recommendations  o 2012 are as under:

- Conservation of rivers, river corridors, water bodies and infrastructure should be un scientifically planned manner through community participation. The storage capacitie bodies  and  water  courses  and/or  associated  wetlands,  the  fl ood  plains,  ecological  buffer  and areas  required  for  specific  aesthetic  recreational  and/or  social  needs  may  be  man extent possible in an integrated manner to balance the flooding, environment and soci per prevalent laws through plan ned development of urban areas, in particular.
- States should be encouraged and incentivized to undertake reforms and progressive mea innovations, conservation and efficient utilization of water resources.

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