Lok Sabha Question No. 879 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-04
Subject: Treatment of Sewage Generated in Ganga Basin
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 879

ANSWERED ON 04.12.2025

## TREATMENT OF SEWAGE GENERATED IN GANGA BASIN

879. Dr. KAKOLI GHOSH DASTIDAR:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether it is a fact that in the Ganga basin approximately 12,000 million litres per day of sewage is generated, for which presently there is a treatment capacity of only around 4,000 million litres per day; (b) if so, the reasons therefor;

- (c) the details of the most polluted sections of the Ganga river; and

(d)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  to  make  Ganga  pollution-free  and  the  proposed  timeline  to  achieve  the same?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) & (b) As per the available information,  total sewage generated in the 5 Ganga States (main stem) is about 10,160 MLD against which the available STP capacity of 7820 MLD and  to bridge the gap, the projects of 1,996 MLD are at various stages of completion.

The major reasons for delays in the initiation as well as completion of the project are following:

1. Identification of suitable land for the establishment of new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs)
2. 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.

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

(c) Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), carries out manual water quality monitoring of the river Ganga at 112 locations across five Ganga main-stem States- Uttarakhand-19; Uttar Pradesh-41; Bihar-33; Jharkhand-04; and West Bengal-15.

As per CPCB report on Polluted River Stretch (PRS) 2025 following information about Ganga main stem pollution is available:

Ganga Main Stem - State-wise Comparison (2018 vs 2025)

| State         | 2018 Polluted Stretch     | Priority (2018)   | 2025 Polluted Stretch         | Priority (2025)   | Trend / Observation              |
|---------------|---------------------------|-------------------|-------------------------------|-------------------|----------------------------------|
| Uttarakhand   | Haridwar →Sultanpur       | IV                | No PRS                        | -                 | Improved and PRS stretch removed |
| Uttar Pradesh | Kannauj →Varanasi         | IV                | Bijnor →Tarighat              | IV / V            | Partially improved               |
| Bihar         | Buxar to Bhagalpur        | V                 | Bhagalpur D/S → Khalgaon D/S  | V                 | Marginal pollution remains       |
| Jharkhand     | No PRS                    | -                 | No PRS                        | -                 | -                                |
| West Bengal   | Triveni → Diamond Harbour | III               | Baharampore → Diamond Harbour | V                 | improved                         |

Based on the water quality data (median values) of the river Ganga for the year 2025 (January to August), the following observations are made.

- i. pH & Dissolved Oxygen (DO) are the most critical parameters of river health.  The pH & DO of  River  Ganga  meet  the  required  norms  for  bathing  criteria  at  all  the  locations  of  River Ganga.
- ii. Water  quality  of  river  Ganga  is  conforming  with  the  bathing  criteria  w.r.t.  Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the entire stretch of river Ganga in Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar & West Bengal, except the following locations/stretches:
3.  Farrukhabad to Purana Rajapur, Kanpur.
4.  Dalmau, Raibareilly.
5.  D/s  Mirzapur  to  Tarighat,  Ghazipur  (except  two  locations  namely  U/s  Varanasi, After confluence Gomti & U/s Ghazipur) in Uttar Pradesh.

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.

The population of dolphins in the river Ganga has shown a marked increase over the past decade. From an estimated baseline of 2500 to 3000 individuals in 2009, the population rose to approximately 3500 in 2015 and further to around 6327 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, Baba, Rapti, Bagmati, Mahananda, Ken, Betwa, and Sind.

(d) The steps taken by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for improving the water quality along the river Ganga and its tributaries are as under:

1. A total  of  216  number  of  sewerage  infrastructure  projects  (STPs)  costing  ₹  34,809  crores  have been  taken  up  for  remediation  of  polluted  river  areas  with  treatment  capacity  of  6,561  Million Liters per Day (MLD). 138 STPs with a capacity of 3,806 MLD have been completed and made operational;
2. For  industrial  pollution  abatement , 3  nos.  of  Common  Effluent  Treatment  Plants  (CETPs)  have been  sanctioned,  i.e.,  Jajmau  CETP  (20  MLD),  Banther  CETP  (4.5  MLD)  and  Mathura  CETP (6.25 MLD). Two projects, Mathura CETP (6.25 MLD) and Jajmau CETP (20 MLD), have been completed;
3. Annual inspection of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs): Inspection of GPIs started in 2017. In 2025, 3,726 Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) were inventoried in the 8th round of inspection. So far, 3,023 GPIs out of 3,726 GPIs have been inspected through TPA (8th round). Among these, 204 were found self-closed and 1,347 were operational. Among 1,347 operational GPIs, 966 were found to comply and 381 were found non-compliant. Among 381 non-complying GPIs, SCN was issued to 379 GPIs and closure direction was issued to 2 GPIs.
4. At NMCG, an online dashboard 'PRAYAG ' has been operationalized for continuous monitoring of river water quality; the performance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) etc. on the Ganga and Yamuna River;
5. NMCG successfully implemented the minimum e-flow norms notified in October 2018, ensuring continuous  environmental  flow  in  the  river  Ganga.  Regular  compliance  is  being  effectively monitored by the Central Water Commission (CWC).
6. Biodiversity Conservation: Seven Biodiversity Parks in seven districts (Mirzapur, Bulandshahar, Hapur,  Budaun,  Ayodhya,  Bijnore  and  Pratapgarh)  of  Uttar  Pradesh  and  5  priority  wetlands  in Uttar Pradesh (3), Bihar (1) and Jharkhand (1) have been sanctioned;
7. NMCG,  through  the  State  Forest  Department,  has  implemented  a  forestry  intervention  project along the main stem of river Ganga. 33,024 hectares area have been afforested with an expenditure of about ₹ 414 crores;

8. A total of 160 lakhs of Indian Major Carp (IMC) fingerlings have been ranched in the Ganga since 2017 to conserve fish biodiversity and prey base for river Dolphins, and ensure the livelihood of fishers  in  the  Ganga  basin  under  the  special  project  implemented  by  Central  Inland  Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI);
9. Science-based  species  restoration  programme,  rescue,  and  rehabilitation  programme  for  aquatic species like Dolphins, Otters, Hilsa, Turtles, and Ghariyal in collaboration with Wild Life Institute of  India  (WII),  Dehradun  and  State  Forest  Department,  have  shown  marked  improvements  in biodiversity with increased sightings of Dolphins, Otters, Hilsa, Turtles, and other riverine species;
10. ' Ganga  Knowledge  Portal '  is  a  pioneering  initiative  developed  in-house  by  the  National Mission for Clean Ganga, serving as a centralized repository for comprehensive resources on water resource  management.  This  platform  is  engineered  to  facilitate  access  for  students,  research scholars,  stakeholders,  and  the  general  public  to  a  vast  array  of  materials  (1,295  documents), including journals, publications, books, technical articles, research reports; data sets (District River Maps, STP performance and river atlas) and coffee table books. By concentrating on the intricacies of  water  resource  challenges,  Ganga  Knowledge  portal  aims  to  enhance  awareness  and  foster informed decision-making in this critical sector;
11. A total no. of 139 District Ganga Committees (DGC) have been constituted which conducts 4M (Monthly, Mandated, Minuted and Monitored) meetings regularly. As of October 2025, more than 4,632+ meetings have been conducted;
12. Ganga Task Force (GTF) was raised in the state of Uttar Pradesh to assist NMCG in carrying out its mandated tasks, such as (a) Plantation of trees to check soil erosion; (b) Management of Public Awareness/Participation  campaigns;  (c)  Patrolling  of  Sensitive  Rivers  Areas  for  Biodiversity protection; (d) Patrolling of Ghats, etc.;
13. Comprehensive public awareness campaigns have been undertaken to instill a sense of responsibility and engagement among the public in efforts to clean and conserve the Ganga River. These  include  -  Ganga  Utsav,  Nadi  Utsav,  regular  cleanathons  and  plantation  drives,  Ghat  Par Yoga, Ganga Aartis, etc. The efforts are also supported by dedicated cadres of Ganga saviours, such as Ganga Praharis, Ganga VicharManch, etc.

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 by providing financial and technical assistance under Namami Gange Programme.

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