Lok Sabha Question No. 217 (STARRED), answered on 2025-03-13
Subject: Pollution Level of Rivers in Maharashtra
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Smt. Shambhavi, Shri Naresh Ganpat Mhaske

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. *217

ANSWERED ON 13.03.2025

## POLLUTION LEVEL OF RIVERS IN MAHARASHTRA

| *217.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 | SHRI NARESH GANPAT MHASKE SMT. SHAMBHAVI                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has any comprehensive data on the pollution levels of rivers in the country including Maharashtra and if so, the details thereof indicating the most severely affected rivers; (b) the details of the primary sources of pollution in rivers of the country including Maharashtra along with the efforts made/being made to tackle industrial waste, sewage discharge and plastic pollution in these water bodies; (c) the details of specific initiatives undertaken by the Government to clean and rejuvenate polluted rivers in the country including Maharashtra; | Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has any comprehensive data on the pollution levels of rivers in the country including Maharashtra and if so, the details thereof indicating the most severely affected rivers; (b) the details of the primary sources of pollution in rivers of the country including Maharashtra along with the efforts made/being made to tackle industrial waste, sewage discharge and plastic pollution in these water bodies; (c) the details of specific initiatives undertaken by the Government to clean and rejuvenate polluted rivers in the country including Maharashtra; |
| formulated/being formulated to prevent further river pollution and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    | formulated/being formulated to prevent further river pollution and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| ANSWER                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                | ANSWER                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI (SHRI C R PAATIL)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          | THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI (SHRI C R PAATIL)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| rapid urbanization and industrialization?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             | rapid urbanization and industrialization?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| ensure sustainable water resource management in the country including Maharashtra keeping in view                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     | ensure sustainable water resource management in the country including Maharashtra keeping in view                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   | the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
|                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       | (a) to (e) : A statement is laid on the Table of the House.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. *217 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.03.2025 IN LOK SABHA REGARDING 'POLLUTION LEVEL OF RIVERS IN MAHARASHTRA'

(a) to (e) Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with Pollution Control Boards/Committees in different States/Union Territories (UTs) has been monitoring water quality of rivers and  other  water  bodies  across  the  country  through  a  network  of  monitoring  stations  under  the  National Water Quality Monitoring Programme. Based on water quality monitoring results, pollution assessment of rivers is carried out by CPCB from time to time.

As per the last report published by CPCB in November 2022, 311 polluted stretches were identified on  279  rivers  based  on  monitoring  results  in  terms  of  Bio-chemical  Oxygen  Demand,  an  indicator  of organic  pollution.  These  include  53  stretches  in  Maharashtra.  CPCB  report  may   be  accessed  through following link:

## https://cpcb.nic.in/openpdffile.php?id=UmVwb3J0RmlsZXMvMTQ5OF8xNjcyOTg4MDQ1X21lZGl hcGhvdG8xMjk5NS5wZGY=

Rivers in the country including Maharashtra are mostly  polluted due to discharge of untreated and partially  treated  domestic  sewage  from  cities/towns  and  Urban  Local  Bodies,  industrial  effluent  in  their respective catchments, lack of dilution, dumping of wastes and other non-point sources of pollution.

Cleaning/rejuvenation of rivers is an ongoing process. It is the primary responsibility of States/Union Territories (UTs) and Urban Local Bodies to ensure required treatment of sewage and industrial effluents to the prescribed norms before discharging into the rivers and other water bodies. For conservation of rivers, the  Ministry  has  been  supplementing  efforts  of  the  States/UTs  by  providing  financial  and  technical assistance  for  abatement  of  pollution  in  identified  stretches  of  the  rivers  in  the  country  through  Central Sector scheme of 'Namami Gange' for the rivers in Ganga basin, and Centrally Sponsored Schemes of National  River  Conservation  Plan  (NRCP)  for  other  rivers.  Apart  from  this  sewerage  infrastructure  is created under programs like Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities  Mission  of  Ministry  of  Housing  &  Urban  Affairs.  In  Maharashtra,  the  Government  of  India  has sanctioned  two projects  for Pollution abatement of Mula Mutha river at  Pune and Nag river at Nagpur at cost of Rs.990.26 crore and Rs.1926.99 crore, respectively.

Discharge of industrial effluents is monitored by CPCB and the respective State Pollution Control Boards/Committees,  and  in  case  of  non-compliance  with  the  prescribed  norms,  actions  are  taken  in accordance with the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

Details of the total amount of funds allocated and utilized/released for the cleaning of rivers across the country during the last five years under NRCP and Namami Gange are given below:

(Rs. crore)

| Financial   | NRCP             | NRCP           | Namami Gange     | Namami Gange   |
|-------------|------------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
| Year        | Budget Allocated | Funds Released | Budget Allocated | Funds Released |
| 2019-20     | 153.00           | 136.66         | 1553.44          | 2673.09        |
| 2020-21     | 100.00           | 99.87          | 1300.00          | 1339.97        |
| 2021-22     | 217.68           | 202.32         | 1900.00          | 1892.70        |
| 2022-23     | 450.00           | 449.05         | 2500.00          | 2258.98        |
| 2023-24     | 432.01           | 411.01         | 2400.00          | 2396.10        |
| Total       | 1352.69          | 1298.91        | 9653.44          | 10560.84       |

In addition to the ongoing schemes Namami Gange, NRCP, and AMRUT, the States/UTs are putting efforts  into  pollution  abatement  of  the  river.  States/UTs  have  prepared  the  action  plans  for  the  polluted river stretches identified by CPCB in compliance with National Green Tribunal orders and got their action plan approved from the competent authority. For monitoring, the Central Monitoring Committee (CMC) has  been  constituted  under  the  Chairmanship  of  the  Secretary,  Department  of  Water  Resources,  River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Govt. of India.

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