Lok Sabha Question No. 293 (STARRED), answered on 2024-12-16
Subject: River Pollution
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Smt. Sanjna Jatav

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 293

TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.12.2024

## River Pollution

## *293.   SMT. SANJNA JATAV:

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

- (a) whether the cities and industrial units situated along the river banks in various States are causing river pollution;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the steps taken by the Government in this regard during the last three years;
- (d) the measures taken by the Government to stop disposal of waste/industrial effluents into rivers; and
- (e) the details of amount spent on this account during the last three years?

## ANSWER

MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BHUPENDER YADAV)

- (a) To (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARAS (a) TO (e) OF THE LOK SABHA STARRED  QUESTION  NO.  *293  DUE  FOR  REPLY  ON  16.12.2024  REGARDING 'RIVER POLLUTION' SMT. SANJNA JATAV: HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

## (a) to (b)

Major factors related to pollution in rivers are due to discharge of untreated or partially treated sewage from cities/towns and industrial effluents, improper solid waste management, problems in operation and maintenance of sewage/effluent treatment plants, lack of dilution and other nonpoint sources of pollution.

Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  has  defined  Grossly  Polluting  Industry  (GPI)  as  an industry which is discharging effluents into a water course and (a) handling hazardous substances (as specified under the Schedule-I, Part-II of the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules of 1989 under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986) and/or (b) generating effluent having BOD load of 100 kg per day or more. As per the information received from SPCBs/PCCs, there  are  total  3,519  Grossly  Polluting  Industries  in  the  country.  State-wise  status  of  GPIs  as received from SPCBs/PCCs is given as Annexure-I .

CPCB has identified 311 polluted river stretches on 279 rivers (603 monitored rivers in the year 2019 &21). State-wise number of Identified Polluted River Stretches in the Year 2022. The details are given as Annexure-II .

## (c) to (d)

For rejuvenation polluted river stretches identified by CPCB, action plans have been prepared by four-member  Committee  called  'River  Rejuvenation  Committee''  (RRC)  constituted  by  the respective  State  Government/ UT Administration, for bringing all the polluted river  stretches identified by CPCB as fit for bathing purposes (i.e. BOD ˂ 3 mg/L and FC ˂ 500 MPN/100 mL).

Action plans covers aspects such as Source control (Municipal sewage management, Industrial pollution control, Waste management), River catchment/Basin Management (Adoption of good irrigation practices, Utilization of treated sewage, Ground water recharge aspects), Flood Plain Zone protection and its management  (Setting up of bio-diversity parks, Removal  of encroachments, Rain water harvesting, Plantation on both sides of the river), Ecological/Environmental Flow (E-Flow) and Watershed management. Progress of implementation of action plans is reviewed by the RRCs at the State Level and by the Central Monitoring Committee (CMC) constituted by Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) at the Central Level.

The measures taken by the Government to stop disposal of waste/industrial effluents into rivers, inter alia, include formulation and notification of standards for effluents from industries into land masses / water bodies, operations or processes; enforcing of these standards by State Pollution Control Boards ( SPCBs) / Pollution Control Committee (PCCs) through a consent mechanism to establish / operate and regular monitoring; setting up of monitoring network for assessment of water quality; installation of Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) to check the discharge of effluent directly into water bodies; promotion of cleaner production processes; installation  of  Sewage  Treatment  Plants  in  cities;    installation  of  Common  Effluent  Treatment Plants for cluster of Small Scale Industrial units etc.

Further,  the  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  and  Climate  Change  (MoEF&CC),  through  the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, an autonomous body of the Ministry, has prepared Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the rejuvenation of thirteen major rivers through forestry interventions. These rivers include the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Luni, Narmada, Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Cauvery. The DPRs have  been  sent  to  concerned  State  Governments  by  the  MoEF&CC  in  June  2022  for implementation.

Further, the following steps have been taken by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under Namami Gange Programme (NGP) to make the Ganga and its tributaries pollution-free with sustainable cleanliness:

- i. Annual inspection of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs): Inspection of GPIs started in 2017 . In 2024, 4246 Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) have been inventorised in the 7 th round of inspection.  Out  of  2487  GPIs  inspected,  so  far  1425  GPIs  are  compliant,  572  are  noncompliant and 490 are non-operational. Among the non-compliant (572 GPIs), 15 GPIs have been issued  notice for  closure  and  557  GPIs  have been  issued  show  cause  notice.  These efforts have resulted in reduction in BOD load from 26 tonnes per day (TPD) in 2017 to 13.73 TPD in 2022 and about 28.6 % reduction in effluent discharge from 349 MLD in 2017 to 249.31 MLD in 2022.
- ii. At  NMCG,  an  online  dashboard ' PRAYAG'  has  been  operationalized  for  continuous monitoring of river water quality; the performance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs); etc. on the Ganga and Yamuna River;
- iii. Construction of independent household toilets in 4,507 identified villages in the five River Ganga states has been completed. All these Ganga bank villages have now been declared open  defecation-free  ( ODF ).  Further,  till  date,  3,679  no's  of  Ganga  villages  have  been declared ODF sustainability ( ODF Plus) ;
- iv. Seven Ganga Biodiversity Parks in seven districts (Mirzapur, Bulandshahar, Hapur, Budaun, Ayodhya, Bijnore and Pratapgarh) of Uttar Pradesh;
- v. Wetland Conservation : Sanctioned for conserving and managing 5 priority wetlands in Uttar Pradesh (3), Bihar (1) and Jharkhand (1);
- vi. NMCG,  through  the  State  Forest  Department,  has  implemented  a  forestry  intervention project along the main stem of the river Ganga. 33,024 hectares area have been afforested with an expenditure of about ₹ 398 crore;
- vii. A total of 105 lakhs of Indian Major Carp (IMC) fingerlings have been ranched in the Ganga since 2017 to conserve fish biodiversity and prey base for river Dolphins, and ensure the livelihood of fishers in the Ganga basin under the special project implemented by Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI);
- viii. Science-based  species  restoration  programme,  rescue,  and  rehabilitation  programme  for aquatic species like Dolphins, Otters, Hilsa, Turtles, and Ghariyal in collaboration with Wild Life Institute of India (WII), Dehradun and State Forest Department, have shown marked
9. improvements in biodiversity with increased sightings of Dolphins, Otters, Hilsa, Turtles, and other riverine species;
- ix. Ganga Task Force (GTF) was raised in the state of Uttar Pradesh to assist NMCG in carrying out its mandated tasks, such as (a) Plantation of trees to check soil erosion; (b) Management of Public Awareness / Participation campaigns; (c) Patrolling of Sensitive Rivers Areas for Biodiversity protection; (d) Patrolling of Ghats, etc.
- x. Comprehensive  public  awareness  campaigns  have  been  undertaken  to  instill  a  sense  of responsibility and engagement among the public in efforts to clean and conserve the Ganga River. These include - Ganga Utsav, Nadi Utsav, regular cleanathons and plantation drives, Ghat Par Yoga, Ganga Aartis, etc. The efforts are also supported by dedicated cadres of Ganga saviours, such as Ganga Praharis, Ganga Vichar Manch, Ganga Doots, etc.
- xi. For abatement of pollution of industrial effluent, NMCG has sanctioned 5 industrial projects of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) i.e. Jajmau CETP (20 MLD), Banther CETP (4.5 MLD), Unnao CETP (2.65 MLD), Mathura CETP (6.25 MLD) and Gorakhpur CETP (4.5 MLD). The Mathura CETP (6.5 MLD) and Jajmau CETP (20 MLD) projects have been completed.

## (e)

CPCB  in  coordination  with  State  Pollution  Control  Boards  (SPCBs)  /  Pollution  Control Committees (PCCs) monitors water quality of aquatic resources at 4736 locations including 2155 locations  on  645  rivers  under  National  Water  Quality  Monitoring  Programme  (NWMP).    The amount sanctioned by MoEF&CC during last three years for water quality monitoring through respective SPCBs/PCCs and Regional Directorate of CPCB under the Central Sector SchemeControl of Pollution- Environment Monitoring Programe are as follow:

| Year            |   2021-22 |   2022-23 |   2023-24 |
|-----------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Amount (in Cr.) |      15.5 |     12.17 |     20.58 |

Further, under the Namami Gange Programme (NGP) for the rejuvenation of River Ganga and its tributaries,  a  total  of  203  sewerage  infrastructure  projects  have  been  sanctioned  at  a  cost  of  ₹ 32,513 crore for the creation & rehabilitation of 6,255 million liters per day (MLD) of sewage treatment capacity. Sewage Treatment Capacity of 3327 MLD has been created. From 2021-22 to till 15 th November 2024, a total of  ₹ 7921.6 crore has been released by the Government of India to the NMCG, and an amount of ₹ 7,574.25 crore has been disbursed by NMCG to various agencies for implementation of various projects/ interventions under NGP.

****

## Compliance status of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) in the country (Status as received from SPCBs/PCCs)

| S. No   | State/UT                       | No. of GPIs   | No. of GPIs closed by their   | No. of operational GPIs   | No. of GPIs complying with environmental standard   | No. of GPIs non- complying with environmental standard   | No. of GPIs against which action is taken for non- complying with environmental standard   | No. of GPIs against which action is taken for non- complying with environmental standard   | No. of GPIs against which action is taken for non- complying with environmental standard   |
|---------|--------------------------------|---------------|-------------------------------|---------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|         |                                |               | own                           |                           |                                                     |                                                          | Show cause notice issued                                                                   | Closure direction issued                                                                   | Letter/ Directive to unit                                                                  |
| 1       | Andaman& Nicobar Islands       | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 2       | Andhra Pradesh                 | 200           | 3                             | 197                       | 194                                                 | 3                                                        | 3                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 3       | Arunachal Pradesh              | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 4       | Assam                          | 12            | 0                             | 12                        | 12                                                  | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 5       | Bihar                          | 78            | 19                            | 59                        | 44                                                  | 15                                                       | 15                                                                                         | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 6       | Chandigarh                     | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 7       | Chhattisgarh                   | 35            | 6                             | 29                        | 21                                                  | 8                                                        | 1                                                                                          | 7                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 8       | Daman Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 9       | Delhi                          | 196           | 34                            | 162                       | 155                                                 | 7                                                        | 2                                                                                          | 5                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 10      | Goa                            | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 11      | Gujarat                        | 25            | 2                             | 23                        | 20                                                  | 3                                                        | 2                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 1                                                                                          |
| 12      | Haryana                        | 1140          | 174                           | 966                       | 956                                                 | 10                                                       | 5                                                                                          | 5                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 13      | Himachal Pradesh               | 2             | 0                             | 2                         | 2                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 14      | Jammu & Kashmir                | 1             | 0                             | 1                         | 1                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 15      | Jharkhand                      | 5             | 0                             | 5                         | 5                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 16      | Karnataka                      | 3             | 0                             | 3                         | 3                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 17      | Kerala                         | 23            | 2                             | 21                        | 19                                                  | 2                                                        | 2                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 18      | Ladakh                         | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 19      | Lakshadweep                    | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 20      | Madhya                         | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 21      | Maharashtra                    | 1             | 0                             | 1                         | 1                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 22      | Manipur                        | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 23      | Meghalaya                      | 2             | 0                             | 2                         | 2                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 24      | Mizoram                        | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 25      | Nagaland                       | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 26      | Odisha                         | 6             | 0                             | 6                         | 6                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 27      | Puducherry                     | 5             | 2                             | 3                         | 3                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 28      | Punjab                         | 10            | 0                             | 10                        | 10                                                  | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 29      | Rajasthan                      | 1             | 0                             | 1                         | 1                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 30      | Sikkim                         | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 31      |                                |               |                               |                           | 0                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 32      | Tamil Nadu                     | 0             | 0                             | 0                         | 2                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 33      | Telangana Tripura              | 2 5           | 0 0                           | 2 5                       | 5                                                   | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 34      | Uttar Pradesh                  | 1644          | 410                           | 1234                      | 1179                                                | 55                                                       | 0                                                                                          | 55                                                                                         | 0                                                                                          |
| 35      | Uttarakhand                    | 67            | 9                             | 58                        | 57                                                  | 1                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 1                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
| 36      | West Bengal                    | 56            |                               | 48                        | 48                                                  | 0                                                        | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          | 0                                                                                          |
|         | Total                          | 3519          | 8 669                         | 2850                      | 2746                                                | 104                                                      | 30                                                                                         | 73                                                                                         | 1                                                                                          |

## Annexure-I

## State-wise number of Identified Polluted River Stretches in the Year 2022

| S NO.       | STATE / UNION TERRITORY               |   TOTAL NO. OF PRS |
|-------------|---------------------------------------|--------------------|
| 1.          | Andhra Pradesh                        |                  3 |
| 2.          | Assam                                 |                 10 |
| 3.          | Bihar                                 |                 18 |
| 4.          | Chhattisgarh                          |                  6 |
| 5.          | Daman And Diu, Dadra And Nagar Haveli |                  1 |
| 6.          | Delhi                                 |                  1 |
| 7.          | Goa                                   |                  6 |
| 8.          | Gujarat                               |                 13 |
| 9.          | Haryana                               |                  3 |
| 10.         | Himachal Pradesh                      |                  9 |
| 11.         | Jammu &Kashmir                        |                  8 |
| 12.         | Jharkhand                             |                  9 |
| 13.         | Karnataka                             |                 17 |
| 14.         | Kerala                                |                 18 |
| 15.         | Madhya Pradesh                        |                 19 |
| 16.         | Maharashtra                           |                 55 |
| 17.         | Manipur                               |                 13 |
| 18.         | Meghalaya                             |                  7 |
| 19.         | Mizoram                               |                  3 |
| 20.         | Nagaland                              |                  4 |
| 21.         | Odisha                                |                  7 |
| 22.         | Puducherry                            |                  3 |
| 23.         | Punjab                                |                  5 |
| 24.         | Rajasthan                             |                 14 |
| 25.         | Tamil Nadu                            |                 10 |
| 26.         | Telangana                             |                  9 |
| 27.         | Tripura                               |                  1 |
| 28.         | Uttar Pradesh                         |                 17 |
| 29.         | Uttarakhand                           |                  9 |
| 30.         | West Bengal                           |                 13 |
| GRAND TOTAL | GRAND TOTAL                           |                311 |