Lok Sabha Question No. 153 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-02
Subject: Effectiveness of Namami Gange Programme
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Vincent H Pala

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI, DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 153

ANSWERED ON 02.02.2023

## EFFECTIVENESS OF NAMAMI GANGE PROGRAMME

## 153.   SHRI VINCENT H. PALA

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware of the ineffectiveness of the Namami Gange project in Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal and if so, the details thereof;
- (b)  the  reasons  why  only  224  out  of  759  (29.5  per  cent)  of  the  overall  number  of  projects  have  been completed after seven years of the programme being in force;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  implement  the  National  Mission  for  Clean  Ganga  (NMCG) Executive Committee's recommendation to conduct an assessment of inter-state relations in the context of Namami Gange with the goal of resolving disputes and fostering cooperation; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI ( SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU )

(a) Implementation of the projects under Namami Gange Programme in the states of Uttarakhand, Bihar and  West  Bengal  have  been  very  effective  and  have  gained  momentum,  especially  recently.  A comprehensive  set  of  effective  interventions  such  as  wastewater  treatment,  solid  waste  management, river front management  (ghats and crematoria development), e-flow, afforestation, biodiversity conservation  and  Public  Participation  etc.  have  been  taken  up  for  rejuvenation  of  river  Ganga  and  its tributaries. So far, in Ganga basin states, a total of 409 projects have been taken up by National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), out of which 232 projects have been completed and made operational. The details  of  projects  sanctioned  and  completed  in  Uttarakhand,  Bihar  and  West  Bengal  as  on  December 2022, are as under:-

| Sewage Infrastructure                    | Sewage Infrastructure                    | Sewage Infrastructure                    | Sewage Infrastructure                    | Sewage Infrastructure                                               | Sewage Infrastructure                    | Sewage Infrastructure                    | Sewage Infrastructure                    | Sewage Infrastructure                                         | Sewage Infrastructure                    |
|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| Projects Status as on 31st December 2022 | Projects Status as on 31st December 2022 | Projects Status as on 31st December 2022 | Projects Status as on 31st December 2022 | Projects Status as on 31st December 2022                            | Projects Status as on 31st December 2022 | Projects Status as on 31st December 2022 | Projects Status as on 31st December 2022 | Projects Status as on 31st December 2022                      | Projects Status as on 31st December 2022 |
| Sl No                                    | States                                   | No of Proje cts                          | STP Capacity to be created (InMLD )      | Creation of STP capacity through rehabilitation of Old STP (in MLD) | Sewer Network to be laid (in km)         | No. of Project s comple ted              | STP Capacity Created                     | STP capacity created through rehabilitation of Old STP in MLD | Sewer Network laid (in km)               |
| 1.                                       | Uttarakhand                              | 41                                       | 223.14                                   |                                                                     | 196.23                                   | 33                                       | 164.50                                   |                                                               | 169.61                                   |
| 2.                                       | Bihar                                    | 33                                       | 676.10                                   | 0.00                                                                | 1770.21                                  | 10                                       | 233.50                                   | 0.00                                                          | 1160.40                                  |
| 3.                                       | West Bengal                              | 26                                       | 684.18                                   | 187.04                                                              | 1030.43                                  | 11                                       | 137.03                                   | 137.04                                                        | 841.87                                   |

In Uttarakhand, the installed sewage treatment capacity is more than the sewage generated; while in Bihar,  with  the  implementation  of  Namami  Gange  programme,  the  sewage  treatment  capacity  will increase 10 times. In West Bengal also the projects are being implemented successfully to improve the water quality.  16 sewerage projects consisting of 26 Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) with treatment capacity of 260.74 MLD capacity were completed during January'2022-December 2022 in the State of Uttrakhand, Bihar and West Bengal.

Based  on  the  water  quality  assessment  by  Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  in  5  Ganga main stem States in 2022 (January to October), the observed water quality indicates that median value of Dissolved Oxygen which is an indicator of river health has been found to be within acceptable limits of notified primary bathing water quality criteria and satisfactory to support the ecosystem of river for almost entire stretch of river Ganga.

Further,  as  a  result  of  multi  sectoral  interventions,  as  per  comparison  of  median  data  of  water quality parameters viz., DO and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Faecal Coliforms (FC) of year 2014 and 2022 (January to October); DO (Median) has improved at 33 locations, BOD (Median) has improved at 40 locations and FC (Median) has improved 28 locations, respectively.

Cleaning of river is a continuous process and Government of India is supplementing the efforts of the  State  Government  in  addressing  the  challenges  of  pollution  in  river  Ganga  and  its  tributaries  by providing financial and technical assistance under Namami Gange Programme. The projects have now taken their pace and efforts are now being made to complete the projects by their scheduled completion timeline.

(b) Under Namami Gange Programme, total 409 projects have been sanctioned and out of this 232 projects are completed which accounts for 57% of total projects sanctioned.

The impediments faced during implementation of infrastructure and sewerage projects include: delays in obtaining permissions for road cutting, railways/NH crossings, land procurement, forest clearances, change of sites, Covid-19, abnormal floods etc. However, steps have been taken to address these issues and the project completion has gained momentum. In the year 2022 (January-December), 26 sewerage projects were completed and STPs creating a sewage treatment capacity of approx 1,200 MLD.

(c) & (d) Executive Committee (EC) of NMCG has approved the project on 'Interstate Cooperation for Namami Gange: Policy  and  Institutional  Challenges  and  Opportunities'  in  its  43rd  meeting  held  on 13th July 2022. The project was developed in pursuance of the objectives of the MoU signed between NMCG and Centre for Policy Research (CPR) on 14th December 2021. The objectives of the proposal are as follows:

- i. Carry  out  an  assessment  of  interstate  relations  taking  into  consideration  of  the  history  of conflicts and cooperation in the basin.
- ii. Examine the emerging collective concerns about water quality in the basin to  understand  the potential for mobilizing collective action.
- iii. Identify gaps and avenues for the Centre to address towards enabling interstate cooperation for Ganga rejuvenation.