Lok Sabha Question No. 832 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-24
Subject: Monitoring of Water Quality of Ganga River
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Smt. Jyotsna Charandas Mahant

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 832

ANSWERED ON 24.07.2025

## MONITORING OF WATER QUALITY OF GANGA RIVER

## 832.   SMT. JYOTSNA CHARANDAS MAHANT

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has conducted continuous water quality monitoring of  the  river  Ganga  during  the  last  few  important  events  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof  indicating  the monitoring frequency, specific locations, key parameters tested and the findings thereof;

(b) whether any post-event assessments have been conducted to review the sanitation infrastructure, solid waste disposal and wastewater management deployed during the last one year and if so, the details thereof along with a summary of the findings and the corrective actions planned and initiated;

(c) the total number of Namami Gange projects for the river Ganga, along with details of those sanctioned, completed under implementation and pending for approvals; and

(d)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  assessments  on  the  effectiveness  of  completed  Namami Gange projects in reducing river pollution and if so, the details of the key findings, challenges identified and measurable outcomes thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a)  &  (b) Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  has  informed  that  it  carried  out  water  quality monitoring at 5 stations (twice a week) from 12th January 2025 to 20th February 2025 during Maha Kumbh 2025 at  Shringverpur  Ghat,  Lord  Kurzon  Bridge,  Nagvasuki  Mandir,  Sangam  and  Deeha  Ghat,  covering auspicious  bathing  (Amrit  Snan)  days  including  pre-  and  post-  days  of  such  auspicious  bathing  days. Further, three more water quality monitoring locations at Shastri Bridge, Someshwar Ghat and downstream of Delhi Public School with effect from 21.02.2025, thus taking the monitoring locations for river Ganga water quality from 5 to 8.

As per the comprehensive report prepared based on the above monitoring, the median value of pH, Dissolved  Oxygen  (DO),  Biochemical  Oxygen  Demand  (BOD)  and  Feacal  Coliform  (FC)  for  all  the monitored locations was found within the respective criteria/permissible limits for Primary Bathing Water Quality Criteria.

The Prayagraj Mela Authority had prepared a comprehensive Sanitation Plan for Maha Kumbh 2025 after  conducting  industry  consultations  to  explore  and  adopt  the  latest  technologies  with  following  main features:

- i. To ensure accountability and performance, Service Level Benchmarks (SLBs) were included in the contracts with toilet vendors, covering manpower deployment, cesspool operations, and jet spray cleaning.
- ii. Post-Mela Sanitation Measures included the systematic dismantling and removal of all toilets. Hygienic uninstallation was ensured by the sanitation team, using Malathion (5%) and Slaked Lime for effective disinfection and neutralisation of waste.
- iii. Approximately  250  km  of  temporary  drainage  lines  for  collecting  wastewater  (excluding septage)  within  the  Mela  area.  The  collected  water  was  treated  through  bioremediation techniques in dedicated ponds. These temporary lines were dismantled post-event and stored for reuse  in  future  events  such  as  the  upcoming  Magh  Mela,  and  the  ponds  were  subsequently backfilled.
- iv. For septage treatment, three temporary Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) of 500 KLD capacity each  were  installed  at  various  locations  within  the  Mela  premises.  Additionally,  two  Faecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs) of 50 KLD capacity each and one FSTP of 100 KLD were also utilised. These facilities were uninstalled after the event concluded.
- v. The  post-event reviews confirmed  that sanitation  and  wastewater  management  systems functioned effectively. Based on these learnings, corrective actions and planning improvements are being implemented for Maha Kumbh 2025, including enhanced reuse strategies, improved disinfection protocols, and structured redeployment of sanitation infrastructure.

(c) A  total  of  502  projects  have  been  sanctioned  under  the  Namami  Gange  Programme  for  the rejuvenation of the River Ganga and its tributaries. Out of these, 323 projects have been completed, 150 are currently under implementation, and 29 are at the tendering stage.

(d) The Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) was engaged as a Third Party Agency (TPA) for the appraisal of the Namami Gange Mission (NGM). ASCI has observed the following in its report:

- i. NGM has led to considerable additions to wastewater treatment infrastructure in the Ganga river  basin,  balanced  with  investments  in  riverfront  and  ghat  development,  river  surface cleaning processes, afforestation, biodiversity conservation, organic agriculture, etc.
- ii. Capacity  building  of  implementing  agencies  and  other  stakeholders,  along  with  community engagement to support the initiatives, are among the other key contributions of the projects.
- iii. The  decentralisation  and  mainstreaming  of  program  tasks  within  the  basin  states  and  local body establishments have been the hallmark of the programme.
- iv. ASCI, in its appraisal, stated that NGM has shown good progress in achieving its mandate of continuous flow (Aviral Dhara) and unpolluted flow (Nirmal Dhara).
- v. It  has  demonstrated  successful  and  replicable  models  for  implementing  a  large-scale  river rejuvenation programme in a mission mode and has gained global recognition.

The main challenges in implementation of Namami Gange Mission are following:

- i. Identification of suitable land for the establishment of new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs)

- ii. The  issuance  of  statutory  clearances  such  as  right  of  way  for  sewage-related  networks, obtaining  permissions  for  road  cutting,  No  Objection  Certificates  (NoCs)  from  competent authorities like forest and revenue departments;

In order to address and overcome these challenges, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has  been  actively  involved  in  closely  monitoring  the  status  of  the  projects.  NMCG  regularly  conducts comprehensive review meetings under the chairmanship of the competent authority and through the Central Monitoring  Committee  (CMC)  to  evaluate  progress,  identify  potential  roadblocks,  and  ensure  timely resolutions.

Measurable  outcomes  of  the  implementation  of  the  NGM  is  provided  through  the  reports  of  the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on pollution assessment of rivers of India.  As per the report, the Priority River Stretches (PRSs) on the river Ganga, based on the assessment carried out in 2022 (using 2019 and 2021 data), are as under:

a. Uttarakhand does not fall under polluted stretches (BOD < 3 mg/l);

b.   In Uttar Pradesh, stretches from Farrukhabad to Allahabad and Mirzapur to Ghazipur fall under Priority Class V (BOD 3-6 mg/l);

c.   In Bihar, stretches along Buxar, Patna, Fatwah, and Bhagalpur fall under Priority Class IV (BOD 6-10 mg/l);

d.   Jharkhand does not fall under polluted stretches (BOD < 3 mg/l);

e.   In West Bengal, the stretch from Behrampur to Haldia falls under Priority Class IV (BOD 6-10 mg/l).

Further, the value of Dissolved Oxygen (DO), which is an indicator of river health, has been found to be within the acceptable limits of the notified primary bathing water quality criteria and is satisfactory to support the ecosystem of the river along almost the entire stretch of the river Ganga.

As  per  the  biomonitoring  conducted  during  2024-25  at  50  locations  along  River  Ganga  and  its tributaries, and 26 locations along River Yamuna and its tributaries, the Biological Water Quality (BWQ) predominantly  ranged  from  'Good'  to  'Moderate'.  The  presence  of  diverse  benthic  macro-invertebrate species indicates the ecological potential of the rivers to sustain aquatic life.

Further, the population of Dolphins in the river Ganga has shown a marked increase over the past decade. From  an  estimated baseline of 2,500-3,000 individuals in 2009, the population rose to approximately  3,500  in  2015  and  further  to  around  6,327  individuals  as  per  the  nationwide  survey conducted during 2021-2023. This represents more than a twofold increase since 2009. In the Ganga basin, the 2021-2023 assessment across 17 tributaries confirmed dolphin presence in multiple rivers where they were previously unrecorded, such as the Rupnarayan, Girwa, Kauriyala, Babai, Rapti, Bagmati, Mahananda, Ken, Betwa, and Sind.

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