Lok Sabha Question No. 2517 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-03
Subject: National Mission for Clean Ganga
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Kaushalendra Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2517

ANSWERED ON 03.08.2023

## NATIONAL MISSION FOR CLEAN GANGA

## †2517. SHRI KAUSHALENDRA KUMAR

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the current status of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) along with the details of the funds spent thereon;

(b) the steps being taken by the Government to address the problem of silt in river Ganga, particularly in Bihar to maintain the flow continuity of river Ganga;

(c) whether the accumulated silt in Ganga results in severe problem of flood in Bihar every year and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether any time-limit has been fixed for the Clean Ganga campaign; and

(e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU )

(a) Under  Namami  Gange  Programme,  a  comprehensive  set  of  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, a total of 442 projects have been taken up at an estimated cost of Rs. 37,395.51 Crore, out of which 254 projects have been completed. Majority of the projects pertain to creation of sewage infrastructure as the untreated domestic/industrial wastewater is the main reason for pollution  in  the  river.  193  sewerage  infrastructure  projects  have  been  taken  up  with  a  cost  of  Rs. 30,797.24  crore  for  creation  &  rehabilitation  of  6029.75  Million  Litres  per  Day  (MLD)  of  Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) capacity and laying of around 5,250.98 km sewerage network. Out of  these, 106 sewerage projects have been completed and balance are at various stages of implementation.  With the completed projects,  2664.05  MLD  STP  capacity  has  been  created/rehabilitated  and  4436.26  km  sewer network has been laid.

Namami  Gange  Programme  was  launched  in  June  2014  for  a  period  up  to  31 st March,  2021  to rejuvenate River Ganga and its tributaries. The programme was subsequently extended up to 31 st March, 2026. A total sum of Rs.15,517.02 crore were released to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), from Financial Year  2014-15 till 30 June 2023, out of  which Rs.14,796.46 crore have been released/disbursed by NMCG to various agencies for implementation of projects under the Programme during the said period.

(b) The  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti  has  formulated  a  'National  Framework  for  Sediment  Management (October 2022)' for managing sediments in a holistic manner. This framework lays emphasis on sediment management  through  integrated  river  basin  management  plan.  It  provides  reference  of  all  existing guidelines/  policies  dealing  with  the  various  aspects  of  sediment  management  and  it  will  facilitate  the stakeholders,  particularly  State  Governments,  in  planning strategies and  implementation of  projects  for sediment management in watershed, rivers, reservoirs, lakes/water bodies etc.

National Workshop on Sediment Management was organised by Ministry of Jal Shakti on June 19, 2023 to sensitize all stakeholder about the present critical issues of sedimentation in rivers and reservoirs.

Erosion,  movement and deposition of sediment in river are natural  regulating functions of a  river. Rivers tend to maintain a balance between the silt load carried & silt load deposited, maintaining a river regime. Rivers pickup, carry and drop silt load as per their regime conditions i.e. discharge in the river, river slope, morphology, nature of silt etc.  River is a dynamic system and changes in the river bed profile are expected due to aggradation and degradation characteristics of the river, which broadly depend upon the flow and sediment concentration. The location of aggradation and degradation also changes year to year.

(c) Floods of varying magnitudes have been experienced due multiple reasons in various rivers of the country including rivers in Bihar.  However, latest study in main Ganga doesn't shows major changes in the simulated bed profile of the river at different locations  over a 30-year period.  Simulation of impact of a 100-year flood also on river bed profile also has not shown major changes.

(d) & (e) Cleaning  of  river  is  a  continuous  process  and  Government  of  India  is  supplementing  the efforts  of  the  State  Governments  in  addressing  the  challenges  of  pollution  in  river  Ganga  and  its tributaries  including  Yamuna  by  providing  financial  and  technical  assistance  under  Namami  Gange Programme. The projects are now taken their paces and efforts are being made to complete the projects by their scheduled completion timelines.

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