Lok Sabha Question No. 3455 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-24
Subject: Pollution in Rivers
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Arun Kumar Sagar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI,

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3455

ANSWERED ON 24.03.2022

## POLLUTION IN RIVERS

## †3455.  SHRI ARUN KUMAR SAGAR

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  the  major  rivers  like  Ramganga,  Garra  and  Khannaut  under  Shahjahanpur Parliamentary Constituency in Uttar Pradesh are polluted;
- (b)  if  so,  whether  the  Government  has  taken  or  proposes  to  take  any  steps  to  make  major  rivers  flowing through Shahjahanpur Parliamentary Constituency pollution free; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## (SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU)

(a)  to  (d): Government  of  India  (GoI)  has  launched  the  Namami  Gange  Programme  in  2014-15,  to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga and its tributaries. GoI is supplementing the efforts of the State Governments in addressing the challenges  of  pollution  of  river  Ganga  and  its  tributaries  by  providing  financial  and  technical  assistance under Namami Gange Programme.

River  Garra  is  a  tributary  of  river  Ramganga  and  river  Khannaut  is  tributary  of  river  Garra.  Hence  River Ramganga, Garra and Khannaut are 1 st level, 2 nd level and 3 rd level tributaries of river Ganga respectively.

Moradabad and Bareily are the major towns located along River Ramganga, a tributary of river Ganga. For the  abatement  of  the  pollution  of  river  Ramganga  due  to  discharge  of  untreated  sewage,  3  sewerage infrastructure projects at an estimated cost of Rs.720 crore towards development of 146 MLD STP capacity in the towns of Moradabad and Bareilly have been taken up under Namami Gange Programme. One project at Moradabad for development of 58 MLD STP capacity has been completed while other two projects are at different stages of implementation.

Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  under  National  Water  Quality  Monitoring  Programme  (NWMP) monitors  water  quality  of  rivers  at  2026  locations  in  the  country.   Out  of  these,  monitoring  at  02  (two) locations  is  carried  out  on  river  Ramganga  in  association  with  Uttar  Pradesh  Pollution  Control  Board (UPPCB) in the State of Uttar Pradesh viz., at D/s Sherkot (Kalagarh) and at Kannauj (before confluence of Ramganga with Rive Ganga). There are no monitoring locations on river Garra and Khannaut under NWMP.

Assessment of water quality  of  river  Ramganga for the  years  2019,  2020  and  2021  indicates  that  water quality  of  river  Ramganga  is  meeting  the  Primary  Water  Quality  Criteria  (PWQC)  notified  by  MoEF&CC under E(P) Rules, 1986 with respect to pH and Dissolved Oxygen at both the locations and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) is meeting the criteria in all three years at location D/s Sherkot (Kalagarh) only.

Inspection of 1109 Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) in 2017, 961 GPIs in 2018, 1072 GPIs in 2019 and 2740  GPIs  in  2020  located  in  Ganga  basin  were  also  carried  out  by  joint  team  of  technical  institutes, concerned State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and State Mission for Clean Ganga (SMCGs).

Stringent monitoring, regulation and enforcement towards compliance of Grossly Polluting Industries against regulatory  framework  mandated  under  Consent  mechanism  issued  in  respect  of  provisions  of  Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 is undertaken through CPCB, State Pollution Control Board (SPCBs) and Pollution Control Committees (PCC).

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