Lok Sabha Question No. 3913 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-19
Subject: Conservation of Cauvery River Ecosystem
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Yaduveer Wadiyar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3913

ANSWERED ON 19.12.2024

## CONSERVATION OF CAUVERY RIVER ECOSYSTEM

## 3913. SHRI YADUVEER WADIYAR

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

that the measures taken/being taken by the Government to address the issue of pollution and support the conservation of ecosystem along the River Cauvery?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

Rivers in the country are 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.  Rapid  urbanization  and  industrialization  have  compounded  the challenges. Cleaning/Rejuvenation of rivers is a continuous 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.

This  Ministry  has  been  supplementing  efforts  of  the  States/UTs  by  providing  financial  and  technical assistance  for  abatement  of  pollution  in  rivers/tributaries  in  Ganga  basin  through  the  Central  Sector  scheme  of Namami Gange Program,  and  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of  National  River  Conservation  Plan  (NRCP)  for other rivers in the country.

Under NRCP, for river Cauvery, 168.93 MLD of Sewage Treatment capacity has been created in 9 towns, namely  Bhiwani,  Erode,  Karur,  Kumarapalayam,  Kumbakonam,  Mayiladuthurai,  Pallipalayam,  Trichirappalli  and Trichy of Tamil Naidu and in 4 towns, namely K.R.Nagar, Kollegal, Nanjangud and Srirangapatna of Karnatka  along with  works  of  interception  &  diversion  of  raw  sewage,  construction  of  sewerage  systems,  low  cost  sanitation facilities, improved wood crematoria, river front development, etc.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued orders from time to time related to polluted river stretches. In Original Application No. 673/2018, in which the NGT directed that all  States/UTs  should prepare action plans for the rejuvenation of polluted river stretches in the country identified in 2018 by Central Pollution Control Board. As per the direction, the implementation of said action plans has to be reviewed at all States/UTs and the central level.

In  compliance  of  these  orders  the  States  have  got  their  action  plan  prepared  and  got  approved  from  the competent  authority.  For  monitoring,  Central  Monitoring  Committee  (CMC)  has  been  constituted  at  Central  level under  the  Chairmanship  of  the  Secretary,  Department  of  Water  Resources,  River  Development  and  Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Govt. of India. So far, 19 CMC meetings have been held.

*****