Lok Sabha Question No. 388 (STARRED), answered on 2025-03-27
Subject: Pollution in Water Bodies
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Khalilur Rahaman

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

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. *388

ANSWERED ON 27.03.2025

## POLLUTION IN WATER BODIES

*388.

SHRI KHALILUR RAHAMAN

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that a large number of water bodies across the country are facing severe pollution crisis and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to mitigate and clean these water bodies, prevent them from getting further polluted and stop pollutants from finding their way into rivers;
- (c) whether the Government has identified the industries that discharge pollutants into river Ganga across its course till it meets the sea and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the action taken/proposed to be taken by the Government against such industries?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI

(SHRI C R PAATIL)

- (a) to (d) : A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (d) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. *388  TO  BE  ANSWERED  ON  27.03.2025  IN  LOK  SABHA  REGARDING  'POLLUTION  IN WATER BODIES'

(a) Water bodies including rivers in the country are polluted due to discharge of untreated, partially treated domestic  sewage  from  cities/towns,  industrial  effluent  in  their  respective  catchments  and  other  non-point sources  of  pollution  like  erosion,  agriculture  runoff  and  runoff  from  solid  waste  dumping  sites  etc.  also contribute  to  pollution  of  water  bodies.   Rapid  urbanisation  and  industrialisation  have  compounded  the challenges.

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at present monitors water quality of aquatic resources in the country  in  association  with  the  State  Pollution  Control  Boards  (SPCBs)/  Pollution  Control  Committees (PCCs) at 4736 locations including 2155 locations on Rivers, 558 on Lakes, 141 on Ponds, 102 on Tanks, 1233  Ground  Water  locations  and  547  monitoring  locations  on  other  water  bodies  under  National  Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP). The water quality data of year 2023 of water bodies across the country can be accessed at: https://cpcb.nic.in/nwmp-data-2023/

(b) Cleaning/rejuvenation  of  water  bodies  including  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  for other . Apart from this sewerage infrastructure is created under programs like Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation and Smart Cities Mission of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.

As far as Restoration of other water bodies is concerned, the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MOJS) is also implementing the scheme of Repair, Renovation, and Restoration (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee YojanaHar Khet Ko Pani). National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-systems, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  &  Climate  Change  is  being  implemented  for  conservation  and management  of  wetlands/lake  in  the  country  on  cost  sharing  basis  between  Central  Government  and respective State/UT Governments.

(c)  &  (d) Under  Namami  Gange  Programme  (NGP),  for  industrial  pollution  abatement,  3  nos.  of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) have been sanctioned by NMCG i.e., Jajmau CETP [20 Million Liters  per  Day  (MLD)],  Banther  CETP  (4.5  MLD),  and  Mathura  CETP  (6.25  MLD).  Out  of  these,  two projects, Mathura CETP (6.25 MLD) and Jajmau CETP (20 MLD) have been completed;

Further to monitor industrial pollution, annual inspection of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) started in 2017 by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs/Pollution  Control  Committee  (PCC).  In  seventh  round  of  inspection,  4,246  Grossly  Polluting Industries (GPIs) have been inventoried in the 7th round of inspection. All the GPIs have been inspected. So far,  out  of  4,000  GPIs  on  which  action  has  been  completed,  2,682  GPIs  are  compliant,  517  are  noncompliant, 523 GPIs are temporarily closed and 278 GPIs are permanently closed. Among the non-compliant (517 GPIs), 26 GPIs have been issued notice for closure and 491 GPIs have been issued show cause notice. These efforts have resulted in reduction in BOD load from 26 tons per day (TPD) in 2017 to 13.73 TPD in 2023 and about 28.6 % reduction in effluent discharge from 349 MLD in 2017 to 249.31 MLD in 2023.

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