Lok Sabha Question No. 3 (STARRED), answered on 2023-07-20
Subject: Polluted River Stretches
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Kavitha Malothu, Gaddam Ranjith Reddy

| GOVERNMENT OF INDIA                                                                                                                                                                                             | GOVERNMENT OF INDIA                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT &GANGAREJUVENATION                                                                                                                                             | DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT &GANGAREJUVENATION                                                                                                                                             |
| LOK SABHA                                                                                                                                                                                                       | LOK SABHA                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| STARRED QUESTION NO. *3                                                                                                                                                                                         | STARRED QUESTION NO. *3                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| ANSWERED ON 20.07.2023                                                                                                                                                                                          | ANSWERED ON 20.07.2023                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| *3                                                                                                                                                                                                              | SHRIMATI KAVITHA MALOTHU                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether it is true that Hyderabad to Nalgonda stretch of river Musi in Telangana has been identified as one of the polluting stretches in the country; | Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether it is true that Hyderabad to Nalgonda stretch of river Musi in Telangana has been identified as one of the polluting stretches in the country; |
| (b) if so, the details thereof;                                                                                                                                                                                 | (b) if so, the details thereof;                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| (c) the steps taken by the Government to clean the above stretch and the expected time to complete the work;                                                                                                    | (c) the steps taken by the Government to clean the above stretch and the expected time to complete the work;                                                                                                    |
| Musi river and also for constructing a 55-kms. skyway on Musi river;                                                                                                                                            | Musi river and also for constructing a 55-kms. skyway on Musi river;                                                                                                                                            |
| (e) if so, the details of requests received by the Government on the matter since 2014 and the action                                                                                                           | (e) if so, the details of requests received by the Government on the matter since 2014 and the action                                                                                                           |
| taken on each of such requests; and whether the Union Government proposes to provide financial assistance to the State Government of                                                                            | taken on each of such requests; and whether the Union Government proposes to provide financial assistance to the State Government of                                                                            |
| ANSWER THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI                                                                                                                                                                               | ANSWER THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI                                                                                                                                                                               |
| Telangana for constructing skyway on Musi river and if so, the details thereof?                                                                                                                                 | Telangana for constructing skyway on Musi river and if so, the details thereof?                                                                                                                                 |
| (f)                                                                                                                                                                                                             | (f)                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)                                                                                                                                                                                 | (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| (a) to (f) : A statement is laid on the Table of the House.                                                                                                                                                     | (a) to (f) : A statement is laid on the Table of the House.                                                                                                                                                     |

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (f) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *3 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.07.2023 REGARDING 'POLLUTED RIVER STRETCHES'

(a) & (b) The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with the State Pollution Control Boards/Committees in different States/Union Territories (UTs) is monitoring the water quality of rivers and other water bodies from time to time, through a network of  monitoring stations under the National Water  Quality  Monitoring  Programme  (NWMP).  As  per  the  CPCB  Report  of  September,  2018  the stretch  of  Musi  river  from  Hyderabad  to  Nalgonda  in  Telangana  falls  under  Priority-I  category. However, in their latest report published in November, 2022, a stretch from Bapughat to Rudravelly, Kasaniguda to Valigonda has been identified as Priority-I stretch in Musi river.

(c) Cleaning/rejuvenation of rivers is an ongoing process.  Through the centrally sponsored scheme of National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), the Ministry of Jal Shakti has been supplementing efforts of the  States/UTs  by  providing  financial  and  technical  assistance  for  pollution  abatement  of  rivers, excluding Ganga and its tributaries, relating to interception & diversion of raw sewage, construction of sewerage system, setting up of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), low cost sanitation, river front/bathing ghat  development,  etc.  in  identified  polluted  stretches  of  rivers  in  the  country,  including  Musi  and Godavari in Telangana.

Water is a State subject, and it is the responsibility of the States/UTs and local bodies to ensure treatment  of  sewage  and  industrial  effluents  to  the  prescribed  norms  before  discharging  into  water bodies  or  land  to  prevent  and  control  pollution  therein.  As  per  the  provisions  of  Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution), Act 1974, industrial units and local  bodies  are  required  to  install  Effluent  Treatment  Plants  (ETPs)/Common  Effluent  Treatment Plants  (CETPs) and Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) respectively and treat their effluents/sewage to comply  with  stipulated  environmental  standards  before  discharging  into  river  and  water  bodies. Accordingly, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB)/Pollution  Control  Committees  (PCCs)  monitor  industries  with  respect  to  effluent  discharge standards and take punitive action for non-compliance under the provisions of these Acts.

In  Telangana,  pollution  abatement  works  were  sanctioned  and  completed  under  NRCP  for conservation  of river  Musi  at  a  cost  of  Rs.335.65  crore  where  4  STPs  of  593  million  liters  per  day (MLD)  total  capacity  were  created  and  commissioned  during  2007  to  2013  in  Hyderabad.  Further, under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme, 2 STPs of 28 MLD total capacity were constructed.

State Government of Telangana has sanctioned 31 STPs totaling 1,259.50 MLD capacity at a cost of Rs.3,866 crore to achieve 100% treatment of sewage (to cater to the present and future generation of sewage) from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area.

(d)  to  (f) The  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti  had  proposals  for  4  STP  projects  pertaining  to  Musi  river conservation  at  Hyderabad  in  2020,  which  were  returned  to State  Government   with  observations. However, the State Government has not submitted any revised proposal. Since 2014 in Telangana, there is  no  ongoing project  under  NRCP  nor  is  there  any  proposal  under  consideration  for  pollution abatement of Musi river in the State of Telangana.

As per information received from Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the Union Government has not received any proposal from the State Government of Telangana in respect of construction of Skyway on river Musi.

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