Lok Sabha Question No. 1018 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-08
Subject: Surface Water Pollution
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE, SANJAY SHAMRAO DHOTRE, BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1018

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.02.2019

## Surface Water Pollution

## 1018.   SHRI RAHUL SHEWALE: SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE: SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

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

- (a) whether the Government has made any assessment/conducted any study to ascertain the pollution level of surface water in the country;
- (b) if so, the details and outcome thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether an international organization viz. Water Aid has given any remarks regarding pollution level of India's surface water in the recent past;
- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the reaction of the Government thereto;
- (e) whether  the  Government  proposes  any  comprehensive  policy  to  deal  with  water pollution  in  the  country,  if  so,  the  details  thereof  along  with  the  time  by  which  it  is likely to be implemented in the country; and
- (f) the other steps taken/being taken by the Government to keep a check on water pollution in the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

(a) & (b)   Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  in  association  with  State  Pollution Control  Boards  (SPCBs)/  Pollution  Control  Committees  (PCCs)  monitors  water  quality  of aquatic  resources  at  3500  locations  in  the  country  under  National  Water  Monitoring Programme (NWMP). Based on the assessment of water quality data carried out for the years 2016 and 2017, CPCB has identified 351 polluted river stretches on 323 rivers in 28 States and 3 Union Territories (UTs) based on exceedance of water quality criteria with respect to Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD); an indicator of organic pollution (3mg/l).

(c) &  (d)  Water  Aid  has  not  undertaken  any  independent  assessment  of  surface  water pollution in India and its report is based on assessment of CPCB and other organizations.

(e) & (f) Pollution abatement of rivers is a continuous and ongoing process.  It is the primary responsibility  of  the  State  Governments/  local  bodies  concerned  to  set  up  facilities  for collection, transportation and treatment of sewage being generated and ensure that untreated sewage  is  not  discharged  into  the  rivers,  thereby  polluting  them.    This  Ministry  has  been supplementing the efforts of the State Governments in abatement of pollution in identified stretches of various rivers under the scheme of National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), on a cost sharing basis between the Central and State Governments.

NRCP {excluding Ganga and its tributaries, which are handled by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD&GR) from 01/08/2014 onwards} has so far covered polluted stretches of 33 rivers  in 76 towns spread over 15 States in the country at a sanctioned cost of Rs. 4801.57 crore,  and Central share of Rs. 2337.73 crore  has  been  released  to  the  State  Governments  for  implementation  of  various  pollution abatement schemes. Sewage treatment capacity of 2520.43 mld  (million litres per day)  has been created so far under the NRCP.

State  Governments,  apart  from  their  own  budgetary  allocation,  are  also  accessing financial  assistance  for  creation  of  sewerage  infrastructure,  including  Sewage  Treatment Plants  (STPs),  in  various  cities/towns  under  Atal  Mission  for  Rejuvenation  and  Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities Mission of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs as well as Namami Gange programme of MoWR,RD&GR.

To ensure proper treatment of municipal wastewater before discharge into the rivers, CPCB has issued directions under Section 18 1(b) of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 in April, 2015 to all the SPCBs)/PCCs in the country for setting up of STPs  in  their  respective  States.  CPCB  has  also  issued  directions  in  October,  2015  to municipal  authorities  of  66  metropolitan  cities  and  State  capitals  under  Section  5  of  the Environment  (Protection)  Act,  1986  to  ensure  proper  treatment  and  disposal  of  sewage generated for abatement of pollution of rivers.

Further, to control discharge of industrial effluents, CPCB and respective SPCBs/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.  To  improve  the  monitoring  of  compliance,  directions have been issued by CPCB to specific industries to install online 24x7 effluent monitoring systems. Steps have also been taken by CPCB to promote low waste concept in grossly water polluting industries, particularly those located on the river banks.

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