A Presentation By :

Mandeep
MSc. (Env. Scs.)
Namami Gange - Saving the Ganga
• The Clean Ganga project is officially known as the
Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission project or
'Namami Gange'.
• This is basically a dream project of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.
• Before he became the PM of India, Modi had
been a staunch advocate of cleaning up the river
Ganga. He promised that if he were voted to
power he would start the project right away.

True to his word, he got the said project started

within a few months of becoming the new PM.
 Namami Gange Programme
• Accordingly, an Integrated Ganga Conservation
Mission called “Namami Gange” is started and a
sum of Rs. 2,037 crores has been set aside for this
purpose in budget of 2014-15.
• Accordingly, Namami Gange approaches Ganga
Restoration by consolidating the existing ongoing
efforts and planning for a concrete action plan for
future

Continue…….
• In addition a sum of Rs. 100 crores has been allocated for
developments of Ghats and beautification of River Fronts
at
1. Kedarnath,
2. Haridwar,
3. Kanpur,
4. Varanasi,
5. Allahabad,
6. Patna and
7. Delhi
in the current financial year.

Continue…..
• Recognizing the multi-sectoral, multi-dimensional and
multi-stakeholder nature of the Ganga Rejuvenation
challenge, the key Ministries comprising of :
(a) WR, RD&GR,
(b) Environment, Forests & Climate Change,
(c) Shipping,
(d) Tourism,
(e) Urban Development,
(f) Drinking Water and Sanitation and Rural Development
have been working together since June, 2014 to arrive at
an action plan.
continue……
• The concerned Ministers have nominated a Group
of Secretaries to develop a draft action plan
• The Group of Secretaries submitted its initial report
on 21st July, 2014 and after taking into account the
feedback received from the Hon’ble Ministers, the
final report has been submitted on 28th August,
2014.
• While the report is being examined in the
Ministry, NMCG has been working in parallel on a
draft strategy taking into account all these
developments.
Continue…..
• On a medium term basis, certain interventions
both infrastructure and non-infrastructure need
to be introduced to implement the long term
vision as taking it as “no regret” activities.

----------------------------------------
Tasks taken up under Namami Gange:
(i) ensuring sustainable municipal
sewage management

• Project priority is coordination with Ministry of

Urban Development.

• Incentive for states to take up projects on Ganga

Main-stem by providing an additional share of
central grants for sewerage infrastructure.

continue…..
• Uniform standards for both MoUD scheme
and Namami Gange programme

• Expanding coverage of sewerage

infrastructure in 118 urban habitations on
banks of Ganga
• (ii managing sewage from
Rural Areas
• Mo DWS scheme for all Ganga bank Gram
Panchayts (1632) free from open defecation by
2022, at a cost of Rs 1700 Crores as central share

(iii) managing Industrial

discharge
• Making ZLD mandatory
• Rationalized water tariff to encourage reuse
• Real time water quality monitoring

continue…….
(iv)

• Enforcing River Regulatory Zones on Ganga Banks

• Rational agricultural practices, efficient irrigation

methods

• Restoration and conservation of wetlands

(v) Ensuring ecological rejuvenation by
conservation of aquatic life and biodiversity

(vi) Promotion of Tourism and Shipping in a

rational and sustainable manner

(vii) Knowledge Management on Ganga

through Ganga Knowledge Centre
 However, to control the spread of pollution and
to contain it in manageable limits certain
interventions would be necessary in short term.
Group of Secretaries under guidance of Hon’ble
Ministers has identified following activities:
i) Scheme for rehabilitation and up-gradation of
existing STPs along Ganga

ii) Ensuring 100% sewerage infrastructure in

identified town alongside Ganga

continue….
iii) In situ sewage treatment in open drains

iv) Support for preparation of DPRs(Detailed

Project Reports)

v) River Front Management for Ghat’s

developments in selected cities and towns

vi) Industrial pollution control at Kanpur on

priority
continue…..
vii) Action Plan for Char Dham Yatra –Public
amenities, waste disposal and sanitation

viii) Capacity building of urban local bodies

ix) Afforestation – Conservation of Flora

x) Conservation of Aquatic life – special attention

on Dolphin, Turtles and Ghariyals etc.

xi) Disposal of flowers and other puja material

continue……
xii) Ganga Vahini(ex-serviceman & NGOs to monitor
and protect at special places)

xiii) GIS data and Spatial Analysis for Ganga basin

xiv) Study of communities depending on Ganga for

their traditional livelihood

xv) National Ganga Monitoring Centre

xvi) Special guidelines for sand mining in Ganga

xvii) Assessment of Special Properties of Ganga Water

xviii) Communication and Public Outreach Activities

Ganga Manthan
• Ganga Manthan was organized on 7th of July,
2014 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

• It was a national level consultation to facilitate

interaction with various stakeholders including
policy makers and implementers, academicians,
environmentalists, saints and spiritual leaders
from all faiths and NGOs for the cause of Ganga
Rejuvenation.

continue……
• The event began with an Inaugural session with
addresses by Sushri Uma Bharati, Hon’ble
Minister of Water Resources, River Development
& Ganga Rejuvenation; Shri Nitin Gadkari,
Hon’ble Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and
Highways, Rural development, Drinking water
supply & sanitation; and, Shri Shripad Naik,
Hon’ble Minister of Tourism and Culture.

continue……
• Inaugural session was followed by
sanits session where spiritual
leaders of different religious beliefs
came together on one platform to
guide and share the viewpoints on
the challenges and solutions for
rejuvenation of river Ganga.
• After this session there were four parallel sessions
for which the participants were divided into 4
groups: .

Group A: Saints and Spiritual Leaders

Group B: NGOs and Environmentalists
Group C: Technocrats and Academicians
Group D: Public Representatives, Administrators
and NGOs
• The total number of participants in this event is
approximately 500 with group wise
representation
continue……
• During the group discussions, problems related to
river Ganga were discussed and recommendations
were provided by 4 streams of the society

• All the participants derived at a common decision

that River Ganga should be ‘nirmal’ and ‘aviral’.

continue……..
• Address by ministers showed the commitment
of the government to undertake this task.

• Ganga Manthan marked the beginning of

people movement where people from
different spheres came on one platform to
discuss their concerns and provide the
recommendations to bring river Ganga to its
original glory.
The aims and objectives of NMCG is to accomplish
the mandate of National Ganga River Basin
Authority (NGRBA) of

1.
To ensure effective abatement of pollution and
rejuvenation of the river Ganga by adopting a
river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral
co-ordination for comprehensive planning and
management .
2.
To maintain minimum ecological flows in the
river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality
and environmentally sustainable development.
The Vision for Ganga Rejuvenation constitutes
restoring the wholesomeness of the river
defined in terms of ensuring
“Aviral Dhara” (Continuous Flow”),
“Nirmal Dhara”(“Unpolluted Flow”),
Geologic and ecological integrity.
 Functions of NMCG
To achieve the objectives, NMCG shall carry out the
following key functions namely:

• (i) Implement the work programme of National

Ganga River Basin Authority(NGRBA).

• (ii) Implement the World Bank supported National

Ganga River Basin Project.

• (iii) Coordinate and oversee the implementation of

projects sanctioned by Government of India under
NGRBA.
Continue……..
(iv) Undertake any additional work or functions as may be
assigned by MoWR,RD &GJ in the area of conservation of
river Ganga.

(v) Make rules and regulations for the conduct of the affairs
of the NMCG and add or amend, vary or rescind them from
time to time.

(vi) Accept or to provide any grant of money, loan securities

or property of any kind and to undertake and accept the
management of any endowment trust, fund or donation not
inconsistent with the objectives of NMCG.

(vii) Take all such action and to enter all such actions as may
appear necessary or incidental for the achievements of the
objectives of the NGRBA.
• River Ganga has significant economic,
environmental and cultural value in India.

• Rising in the Himalayas and flowing to the Bay of

Bengal, the river traverses a course of more than
2,500 km through the plains of north and eastern
India.
Continue….
• The Ganga basin – which also extends into parts
of Nepal, China and Bangladesh – accounts for 26
per cent of India’s landmass, 30 per cent of its
water resources and more than 40 per cent of its
population.

• The Ganga also serves as one of India’s holiest

rivers whose cultural and spiritual significance
transcends the boundaries of the basin.
continue……..
• A river basin with the complexity of the Ganga
cannot be managed from an environmental view
point without the benefit of an adequate
knowledge base, analytical tools, targeted
research, and awareness building.

• Ganga Knowledge Centre (GKC) is set up at

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)
primarily to address these issues and to enhance
the quality of implementation of the National
Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) program.
continue……..
• GKC is conceptualized as a premiere and
autonomous knowledge based institution which
will blend system characterization, innovation and
stakeholder participation so as to optimize the
investments of NGRBA.

-------------------------------------
 Major Objectives of GKC

• Create and manage knowledge resources

including analysis and modeling of diverse data
sets relevant to Ganga River Basin.

• Design and foster research innovation through

identification of knowledge gaps, need for new
ideas and supporting targeted research.
Continue………
• Facilitate stakeholder dialogue through public
involvement and building partnerships with
universities/institutions of national &
international repute, public & private entities and
NGOs.

GKC will be one of its kinds of institution which

will generate the state of art scientific and
technical knowledge even while reflecting
constantly on traditional and local knowledge but
still remain focused on relevant issues and stay
connected to the stakeholders.
• The immediate outcome of the efforts of GKC would
be:
• Knowledge & Knowledge based products including
publications, online and multimedia products, virtual
data bases and E library.
• Customized query management tools.
• Analysis of the proposed investments using the
knowledge base and modeling tools.
• Sharing the development vision across agencies.
• Technical support to the social outreach and
community participation activities.
• Training and capacity building at all levels.
Major Policy Initiatives Under NGRBA
1. Tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).

2. Independent Appraisal of Details Project

Reports(DPRs).

3. Third Part Inspections.

4. City Level Monitoring Committees.

5. Revised Guidelines for Preparation of Details Project

Reports(DPRs).

6. Dolphin Conservation.
7. Streamlining of Review and Monitoring mechanism in
States.

8. Involvement of NGRBA experts.

9. Public Outreach and Awareness, Involvement of

youth.

10. Ganga Knowledge Centre.

11. Water Quality Monitoring with focus on Real time,

Online assessment.

12. Ganga River Basin Management Plan(GRBMP)

Sanctioned Projects
• National Ganga River Basin Authority(NGRBA) has
so far sanctioned a total 83 projects in 49 towns
in Ganga States
• The costing is Rs.5918.56 crore under NGRBA
Program including Externally Aided Projects(EAP)
with the assistance of Japan International
Agency(JICA) and the World Bank of Rs.4387.31
crore.

continue……
These include projects of
• Rs 2256.01 crore in Uttar Pradesh,
• of Rs 1702.06 crore in Bihar,
• of Rs 99.36 crore in Jharkhand,
• of Rs 1352.51 crore in West Bengal and
• of Rs 251.21 crore in Uttarakhand for laying of
sewage networks, treatment plants, development
of river fronts, etc.
continue…….
• These sanctioned projects also include three CPCB
projects worth Rs 198.48 crore on Pollution
Inventorization, Assessment and Surveillance
(PIAS) on river Ganga Strengthening of
Environmental Regulator (SER)-CPCB and a project
of setting up the Ganga Knowledge Centre (GKC)
in NMCG (Rs.48.54 crore)

continue……..
• Educating Schools and Communities for
conserving habitant of Ganga River Dolphin of
(Rs.1.28 crore) and Preparation of DPR of
"Forestry intervention for Ganga" Non-EAP(Rs.
0.96 crore)

• A Expenditure of an amount of Rs.1148.56 crore

(as on 31st March 2015) has been done by both
Centre and the States for implementation of the
sanctioned projects.
continued……..
• Phase-1: Annual Dolphin Census & Threat
Assessment (EAP)(Rs. 0.73 crore)

• Phase-2: Rolling out Dolphin Conservation in UP

(EAP) (Rs. 2.42 crore)

• Assessment of Water Quality and Sediment

Analysis to understand the special property of
river Ganga (Non-EAP)(Rs. 5.00 crore).
• External funding
The Central Government has approved the
projects for ‘World Bank’ assistance to National
Ganga River Basin Authority(NGRBA) for
abatement of pollution of river Ganga’ at an
estimated cost of Rs.7000 crore.
• The Bank will support the Government of India by
providing technical assistance and financing of US
$ 1 billion (approx. 4600 crore).
continue…….
• The World Bank Board has approved this project
on 31st May 2011.

• The Loan agreement with World Bank has been

signed on 14th June 2011.

• Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is

supporting one project on Ganga in Varanasi
worth Rs. 496.9 Crore on 85:15 basis.
• Funding Mechanism
The investments required to create the necessary
treatment and sewerage infrastructure would be
shared between Centre and State Governments on
70:30 basis.
• The State Governments would be required to
motivate ULBs for resource recovery and revenue
generation.
• Also, the cost of Operations and
Maintenence(O&M)for the initial five years in
NGRBA projects would be shared between Centre
and States in the ratio of 70:30 with a periodical
review.
Ganga River Basin Management Plan
• A comprehensive River Basin Management Plan
for Ganga is being prepared by the group of seven
Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)
• Kanpur,
• Delhi,
• Madras,
• Bombay,
• Kharagpur,
• Guwahati
• and Roorkee. Continue….
• The Plan is being prepared with the objectives of
taking comprehensive measures for restoration of
the wholesomeness of the Ganga ecosystem and
improvement of its ecological health, with due
regard to the issue of competing water uses in the
river basin.
• The wholesomeness of the river can be grasped in
terms of four defining concepts: “Aviral Dhara”
(Continuous Flow”), “Nirmal Dhara”(“Unpolluted
Flow”), Geologic Entity, and Ecological Entity.
 Function and Power of NGRBA
• National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) has started the
Mission Clean Ganga with a changed and comprehensive
approach to champion the challenges posed to Ganga through
four different sectors, namely,

• wastewater management,

• solid waste management,

• industrial pollution and

• river front development.

continue….
• The Ministry of Water Resources, River
Development and Ganga Rejuvenation(MoWR, RD
& GR) is the nodal Ministry for the NGRBA.
• The authority is chaired by the Prime Minister and
has as its members the Union Ministers
concerned, the Chief Ministers of the States
through which Ganga flows, viz., Uttarakhand,
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal,
among others.
• This initiative is expected to rejuvenate the
collective efforts of the Centre and the States for
cleaning the river.
NGRBA functions include
• Development of a Ganga River Basin Management
Plan.

• Regulation of activities aimed at prevention,

control and abatement of pollution, to maintain
water quality and to take measures relevant to
the river ecology in the Ganga basin states.
• It is mandated to ensure the maintenance of
minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga and
abate pollution through planning, financing and
execution of programmes including that of –

1) Augmentation of Sewerage Infrastructure

2) Catchment Area Treatment
3) Protection of Flood Plains
4) Creating Public Awareness
• NGRBA has been mandated as a planning,
financing, monitoring and coordinating authority
for strengthening the collective efforts of the
Central and State governments for effective
abatement of pollution and conservation of river
Ganga so as to ensure that by the year 2020 no
untreated municipal sewage or industrial effluent
will flow into the river Ganga.
• The NGRBA is fully operational and is also
supported by the state level State Ganga River
Conservation Authorities (SGRCAs) in five Ganga
basin States which are chaired by the Chief
Ministers of the respective States.
• Under NGRBA programme, projects worth Rs.
4607.82 crore have been sanctioned up to 31st
March 2014.
 Powers & Functions
• NGRBA has the power, combined with regulatory and
developmental functions, to take all such measures
and discharge functions. Such measures include
following matters, namely:-

a) Development of river basin management plan and

regulation of activities aimed at prevention, control
and abatement of pollution in the river Ganga to
maintain its water quality, and to take such other
measures relevant to river ecology and management
in the Ganga Basin States.
b) Maintenance of minimum ecological flows in the
river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality
and environmentally sustainable development.
c) Collection, analysis and dissemination of
information relating to environmental pollution in
the river Ganga.
d) Investigations and research regarding
problems of environmental pollution and
conservation of the river Ganga.
e) Promotion of water conservation practices
including recycling and reuse, rain water
harvesting, and decentralised sewage treatment
systems.
f) Monitoring and review of the implementation of
various programmes or activities

g) Issuing directions under section 5 of the

Environment (Protection) Act 1986 (29 of 1986) for
the purpose of exercising and performing all or any
of the above functions .

h) The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for the

purpose of exercising and performing these
functions and for achievement of its objectives.
 NGRBA Meeting
• Meeting of National Ganga River Basin Authority
a) First Meeting of National Ganga River Basin
Authority held on 05.10.2009.
b) Second Meeting of National Ganga River Basin
Authority held on 01.11.2010.
c) Third Meeting of National Ganga River Basin
Authority held on 17.04.2012.
d) Fourth Meeting of National Ganga River Basin
Authority held on 27.10.2014.
e) Fifth Meeting of National Ganga River Basin
Authority held on 26.03.2015.
• Standing Committee Meeting
a) First Meeting of the Standing Committee of the
National Ganga River Basin Authority held on
29.12.2010.
b) Meeting of the Standing Committee of the
National Ganga River Basin Authority held on
08.02.2012.
• Review Meeting
a) Review Meeting of National Ganga River Basin
Authority held on 04.02.2011.
• The Ganges River basins support more than 10% of the
world’s human population.
• The concentration of human activities coupled with the
poor economic status of these communities has resulted in
a steady degradation of the Ganges with industrial,
agricultural, and domestic pollution and the modification of
flow regimes by dams, barrages, and embankments.
• The resulting threats to the aquatic biodiversity populations
include
-interrupted movements and environmental degradation;
-habitat degradation from gravel mining; and
-pollution from human sewage and persistent chemicals
and trace metals.
• Ravine ecosystems are areas of continuous change.
• As a result of
a) interplay of environmental factors,
b) the development paradigm of that time,
c) the lack of resources to enforce the laws,
d) the ignorance about the degree of harmful effects of
some of the activities
led to the ecological parameters to deteriorate further.
Therefore, it is imperative to keep a close eye on the
habitat parameters and take corrective steps as and
when required.
• The ultimate goal of the Aquatic Biodiversity
Conservation is to achieve the NMCG (National
Mission for Clean Ganga) long term vision for
Ganga River Conservation, in which viable
populations of all endemic and endangered
aquatic species occupy their full historical range
and fulfill their role in maintaining the integrity of
the Ganga River ecosystems.
• The proximate goal is to ensure that by 2020, a
significant reduction of threats to the biodiversity
populations of River Ganga that are either
currently endangered, or are likely to become
endangered in the foreseeable future, is
achieved.
• In determining whether NMCG should
concentrate on a few individual species or
encompass the entire biodiversity of Ganga, then
conservation of few identified endemic and
endangered species course is chosen.
• Successful resolutions for the conservation of one
population can often be applied to others.
FISH::
Snow trout (Schizothorax richardsonii), Golden Mahseer (Tor
putitora), Indian Major Carps (IMC): Four species (Labeo rohita,
L. calbasu, Catla catla, Cirrhinus mrigala).
REPTILES:
Gharial and Gangetic Turtle species
MAMMAL:
River Dolphins and Otters
BIRDS:
Indian Skimmer and Saras
Turtle Species Fish Species

Gharial Smooth Coated Otter

• The Union Cabinet, chaired by Mr. Modi, approved
the flagship programme which integrates the
efforts to clean and protect the Ganga river in a
comprehensive manner.
• “The programme has a budget outlay of Rs. 20,000
crore for the next five years,” -a significant increase
over the expenditure in the past 30 years”.
• The Centre has incurred an overall expenditure of
approximately Rs. 4,000 crore for Ganga
rejuvenation since 1985.
• In order to push the efforts for the Ganga’s clean-
up, the statement said that the Centre will now
take over 100 per cent funding of various
activities/projects under this programme.
• Marking a major shift in implementation, the
government is focusing on involving people living
on the banks of the river to attain sustainable
results.
• Drawing from past lessons, the programme also
focuses on involving the states and grassroots-
level institutions such as Urban Local Bodies and
Panchayati Raj institutions for its implementation.
• The programme would be implemented by the
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its
state counterpart organisations, that is, the State
Programme Management Groups (SPMGs).
• NMCG will also establish field offices wherever necessary
• In order to improve implementation, a three-tier
mechanism has been proposed for monitoring projects,
1. comprising a high-level task force chaired by the Cabinet
Secretary and assisted by NMCG at the national level,
2. state-level committees chaired by Chief Secretary and
assisted by SPMG and
3. district-level committees chaired by the District
Magistrate.
• In view of the unsatisfactory results of the earlier Ganga
Action Plans, the Centre now plans to provide for operation
and maintenance of the assets for at least a 10-year period
• In an attempt to implement policies, the Centre also plans
to establish a four battalion-strong Ganga Eco-Task Force, a
Territorial Army unit.
• It is also contemplating legislation for checking pollution
and protecting the river
• Namami Gange Programme stresses on improved
coordination mechanisms between the various
Ministries/Agencies of the central and state
governments.
• Major infrastructure investments, which fall
under the original mandate of other ministries,
like
I. Urban Development, Drinking Water and
Sanitation,
II. Environment Forests and Climate Change
(EF&CC), will also additionally be undertaken.
• Namami Gange will focus on pollution abatement
interventions, namely
 interception and diversion and treatment of
waste water flowing through open drains via
 bio-remediation/
 appropriate in-situ treatment/
 use of innovative technologies/
 sewage treatment plants (STPs)/
 effluent treatment plant (ETPs).
• It also aims at rehabilitation and augmentation of
existing STPs and immediate short-term measures
for arresting pollution at exit points on river front
to prevent inflow of sewage.

• Significantly, the approach is underpinned by

socio-economic benefits that the programme is
expected to deliver in terms of job creation,
improved livelihoods and health benefits to the
vast population that is dependent on the river.
• FOCUSSED
Ganga, Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar, Mahananda,
Chambal, Beehar, Khan, Shipra, Betwa, Ramganga
and Mandakini have been moved to a new
Ministry NRCP.
• NRCP had 42 rivers and 195 towns in 20 states
under it.
• Namami Gange is 100% centrally funded. The
intention is to “ramp up progress” of the Ganga
clean-up mission.
• 47 TOWNS, 12 RIVERS
Covered under the project in 8 states.
• Dept of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation proposes to make
1,632 gram panchayats by the Ganga open defecation-free by
2022, at a cost of Rs 1,700 cr (central share).
• Several ministries such as Environment, Shipping, Urban
Development, Tourism, Rural Development have been working
with the nodal Water Resources Ministry to undertake projects.

• PEOPLE-CENTRED
According to the government, a major change in
implementation from earlier efforts will lie in the focus on
involving people living on the river’s banks. States and
grassroots institutions such as Urban Local Bodies and
Panchayati Raj institutions will be involved by implementing
agency National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and its state
counterparts, State Programme Management Groups (SPMGs)
• POLLUTION FOCUS
Pollution abatement interventions:
• Interception, diversion, treatment of waste water
in drains through bio-remediation/ in-situ
treatment/use of innovative technologies/sewage
treatment plants/effluent treatment plants;
• immediate measures to arrest inflow of sewage;
PPP/SPV approach for pollution hotspots;
• 4-battalion Territorial Army Ganga Eco-Task Force;
• possible new laws
Alarming levels of pollution:
• A river is considered polluted when the Bio-
Chemical Oxygen Demand (BoD) level rises above
2mg/l.
• A recent Central Pollution Control Board report
says about 2,300 km of Namami Gange rivers are
polluted, including 550 km of Ganga, 667 km of
Yamuna, 250 km of Gomti.
• Some 12,363 km of India’s 275 prominent rivers
(including Namami Gange rivers) are polluted
• WHAT ABOUT OTHER RIVERS?
Rs 1,500 cr were provisioned for NRCP in the 12th
Plan, but only Rs 388.38 cr were provided in the
first three years.
• For 2015-16, projected requirement for rivers
other than Ganga and its tributaries was Rs 295
cr; only Rs 40 cr have been provided.
• Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has been
seeking funds unsuccessfully for a pollution
control project for the Mula-Mutha in
Maharashtra.
• A Rs 444 cr project for the Sabarmati was
sanctioned last year, but no money has been
released yet.
• HISTORY OF UNDERACHIEVING
Ganga Action Plan Ph I & II:
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi launched Phase I in
1985, covering 25 Ganga towns in three states; Rs
862.59 crore were spent.
• Phase II covered 59 towns in five states; Rs 505.31 cr
were spent. Rivers such as Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar,
Mahananda had separate action plans. No results
were visible.
• UPA government’s NGRBA effort:
The lack of tangible results from earlier efforts
prompted the setting up of National Ganga River
Basin Authority (NGRBA) by Manmohan Singh’s
government, focused on a basin-specific approach. 43
towns were covered in five states; Rs 1,027 crore
were spent until March 31, 2015.
• Intensive river surface cleaning is set to begin at
ten identified cities along the banks of Ganga
backed with a Bhuvan Ganga mobile application.
• This ISRO-backed India specific GIS tool will
ensure real-time and public monitoring of river
surface pollution on ground situations.
• The government invite global tenders for river
surface cleaning at ten chosen cities — Haridwar,
Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Mathura &
Vrindavan, Garhmukteshwar, Patna, Kolkata,
Sahibgunj and Nabadwip.
• The idea is to have floating debris collected and
cleaned off the Ganga river surface to ensure
people can see and feel a visible difference in the
cleanliness levels of the river waters.
• A complete work package including river surface
cleaning, ghat cleaning and drain-river confluence
for ten priority locations is being prepared by the
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
• River surface cleaning boats, trash skimmer
machines and trash booms will be pushed into
service at all these ten cities to arrest floating
material and tackle river surface pollution.
• Aerators will be taken into action at river ghats to
keep the gathering moss away — steps identified
as those that will also convince the masses that
the Ganga cleaning project is taking off in a real
and visible manner.
• The ministry has also written to the Central
Pollution Control Board to install real-time
monitors at 118 locations on Ganga where a
nallah meets the river (drain-river confluence) to
ensure that the cleaning is actually taking place
and water quality is maintained. 10 of these have
already been started on pilot basis.
• That apart, the government is set to launch a Bhuvan
Ganga app whereby real-time images of the Ganga
can be captured by the public through smartphones
and uploaded right away to check for any river
surface pollution.
• Once the image is uploaded and received by the
central database, the contractors in charge of the
surface cleaning at that particular location will be
held accountable in case of laxity.
• The Rs 20,000-crore Namami Gange project that was
approved by the Union Cabinet specially focussed on
'strengthening public participation' and improved
inter-ministerial and centre-state coordination for the
cleaning of the Ganga.
• Part of the public participation element will be
the Ganga Volunteer Corps –
• Another soon-to-be launched initiative to
channelise public volunteer services for cleaning
of ghats and generating awareness.
• The Nirmal Ganga Bhagidaari project will see
NGOs being involved in Ganga cleaning.
• The primary thrust of the Namami Gange project
is pollution abatement and building sewerage
infrastructure with special focus on the critical
Kanpur to Varanasi stretch.
• Restoring the “nirmal aur aviral dhara” (clear and
flowing stream) of “Ma Ganga” was a top priority
for Narendra Modi when he was sworn in as the
Prime Minister on May 26, 2014.
• It was also one of the major election promises
made by Modi to the ancient riverside city of
Varanasi, which elected him to Parliament.

A flagship programme—Namami Gange—was

launched the same month the Modi-led National
Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was
sworn in
• A separate ministry under the Union water
resources ministry was created for the river
rejuvenation programme and the Union Cabinet has
approved a budget outlay of Rs 20,000 crore for it
over the next five years.
• This is 10 times what was allocated in previous
cleaning programmes—Ganga Action Plan phase I
and II.
• The 2015-16 budget also declared a 100 per cent tax
exemption for those contributing to the clean Ganga
project.
• But despite the new programme and huge funds, the
NDA government faces criticism for doing nothing
constructive on ground.
Can Namami Gange succeed where other programmes failed?
1. Programme features

Pre- Namami Gange Namami Gange

•An integrated programme. Involves different

ministries--water resources, river development
•Ganga Action Plan (GAP)-I launched in 1986. and Ganga rejuvenation, environment and
• Plan involved pollution abatement measures in 25 forest, shipping, tourism, urban development,
class I towns in three states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar drinking water and sanitation and rural
and West Bengal.
•GAP I was completed in 2000.
development Talks for the first time about
•GAP II was approved in phases, from 1993 to 1996. involving people living on the banks of the river,
•For reducing pollution load on the river, treatment urban local bodies and panchayati raj
of four major tributaries of the Ganga—Yamuna, institutions
Gomti, Damodar and Mahananda—was also taken • Plan includes establishing a Ganga Eco-Task
up. Force, a Territorial Army unit and roll out of
•Under GAP-II, to treat the main stem of the Ganga, legislation to check pollution and protect the
pollution abatement measures were taken up in 59 river Cleaning programme to be implemented
towns in five states—Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.
jointly by National Mission for Clean Ganga
•The National Ganga Basin River Authority (NGBRA) (NMCG), which is the implementation wing of
was launched in 2009 due to failure of GAP I and II. NGRBA, and State Program Management
NGBRA has basin-specific approach. Groups (SPMGs) Talks about strengthening
monitoring system through committees at
national, state and district levels
 •In the early 1990, the fund sharing for the projects
was 50:50 between Central and respective state
governments.
• In 1997, it was decided that the Central government
Central government will fund 100
will pay 100 per cent of the funds.
Funding pattern per cent expenses for various
• The arrangement did not last long. In 2001, the cost
activities and projects
sharing formula became 70: 30, wherein 30 per cent
funds were to be arranged by states; local bodies
were expected to contribute one-third of the 30 per
cent share of the state

•The Centre planned to build projects through public-

private participation (PPP) route, which required the
concessionaire to design-build-operate sewage
Operation and treatment plants (STPs) for five years.
maintenance (O&M) • The Centre was to take over O&M for five years and
then hand it over to the respective state.
• Failed due to the poor financial capacity of the local
bodies in cities along the Ganga
Centre to take care of the assets
for a minimum 10 year period,
and adopt a PPP/SPV approach for
pollution hotspots. After this
assets, will be handed over to
state
 •Total outlay budget of Rs. 20,000 crore
for five years Part allocations of this had
already been made in 2014-15 and 2015-
16 budgets.
• Previous allocations: Interim budget of
•GAP I: Sanctioned amount Rs. 2014-15 : Rs 2,037 crores for cleaning
462 crore. Ganga and Rs 100 crore for ghat
•GAP II: The total approved development and beautification of the
cost of the action plan is Rs river front at Kedarnath, Haridwar,
Money sanctioned 1,498.86 crore. Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna and
•NGBRA: The amount Delhi.
sanctioned under NGBRA till • Over and above this, Rs 4,200 crore
March 2014 is Rs 4,974.79 sanctioned for for Jal Marg Vikas project
for Ganga in Uttar Pradesh (this is not
crores.
under National Mission for Clean
Ganga’s purview).
•Budget of 2015-16: Rs. 4,173 crore
jointly for water resources and Namami
Gange programme.
 1.No such construction Only 2 projects
cleared140 MLD Dinapur STP at Varanasi
(sanctioned cost is Rs 496 crore). Work is
going at site
2.Rs 700 crore project at Patna for
Total wastewater treatment constructing STPs and sewerage network. A
capacity of 1,208.50 MLD was present, tendering process is on.
3.Series of projects recommended by
created (STP – 1,188.50 MLD,
Projects Empowered Steering Committee – needs
CETP – 20 MLD) has been created approvalRiverfront development, Chandighat,
under GAP and NGRBA till June, Hardwar
2014 4.40 MLD Jagjitpur STP
5.50 MLD Rammanah STP at Varanasi
6.Rehabilitation and upgradation of 182 MLD
Rithala Phase I, Delhi
7.Rehabilitation and upgradation of three
phases of Kondli STP (204 MLD), Delhi

GAP I and II: Rs 986.34 crore

2014-15: Projects in pipeline Very little spent
Expenditure NGBRA programme: Rs 910.57 crore
Total: Rs 1,897 crore on implementation
Tardy implementation
• NDA government’s much-hyped Ganga cleaning
programme shows no implementation on ground.

• The only projects that have been taken up are:

ghat cleaning in Varanasi and creation of bio-
toilets during Magh mela in Allahabad.

• Only two projects were cleared last year. Out of

these, work has started at only one STP site.
• A large amount of money has been spent on
just holding meetings and discussions.

• According to sources, a reply to an RTI filed to

request for details about expenditure on
Ganga cleaning showed that around Rs 44 lakh
had been spent only on meetings till
November 2014.

• STPs with total installed capacity of 90 MLD

awaiting approval.
Namami Gange Mission: Old wine in a new bottle?
• So far, crores of rupees have been pumped in to
clean the Ganga, but in vain. Will the NDA’s plan be
any different

• Ganga Maa keeps getting dirtier each year.

• Sisamau nala (drain), puts over 120 million litres

per day (MLD) of untreated sewage into the Ganga.
• The clean-up of Sisamau, the largest open drain
in Kanpur, is one of the objectives of the Namami
Gange or Clean Ganga Mission

• The mission, a poll promise of the Bharatiya

Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic
Alliance (NDA) at the centre, has managed to
revive interest in yet another project to clean up
the Ganga.
The 2,525km-long Ganga winds through Uttarakhand, Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand.

Along with its tributaries, it covers 11 states that are home to 600
million of India’s 1.2 billion population.

The river has various places of religious and industrial importance

along its banks.

According to a report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)

in 2013, over 2,700 MLD of sewage is discharged into the river.

Today, Kanpur, an industrial town, contributes 600 MLD of

untreated sewage to the river.
 In 2009, the
In 1986, the
On 13 May, the National
centre cleared a Congress The second
Ganga River
plan to clean and government phase, which
Basin
develop the river led by then included the
Authority
and allocated prime minister tributaries,
(NGRBA) was
Rs.20,000 crore Rajiv Gandhi was launched
constituted by
for the project launched the in 1993, under
over the next five the Congress-
first phase of another
years. This isn’t led United
the Ganga Congress
the first such Progressive
Action Plan government.
plan. Alliance (UPA)
(GAP).
government.
The Namami Gange mission was launched to address
the shortcomings of GAP.

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has

been given the task of implementation by the
NGRBA.

The centre also renamed the water resources ministry as

the ministry of water resources, river development and
Ganga rejuvenation, tasking it with leading the effort to
rejuvenate the river.

One focus of the mission is to treat wastewater flowing

through drains into the river and the use of innovative
technology and immediate short-term measures to
arrest pollution at exit points on the riverfront.

Which is why Kanpur, especially Sisamau nala,

represents an important front in the battle.
 Untreated sewage

“Sewage, solid waste and tanneries are the main problems

(that contribute to the pollution of the Ganga) in Kanpur,”
said A.S. Gaur, project manager, Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam.

He added that projects under the mission will be developed

under NGRBA and AMRUT (Atal Mission for Renewal and
Urban Transformation).

Some of these were originally envisaged as part of the UPA

government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal
Mission, which has been supplanted by AMRUT.
“Sewage treatment plants will be able to treat 80-
90% of the waste. Rs.2,500 crore worth of short-
term projects have been proposed in Kanpur so
far,” said Gaur.

Currently, the city, whose population is expected to rise to

3.4 million in 2020, has two sewage treatment plants
(STPs) to treat domestic waste and a 36 MLD common
effluent treatment plant (CETP) to treat 9 MLD of
industrial waste and 27 MLD of domestic waste.

Another CETP with a capacity of 17 MLD is in the

works to exclusively treat waste from tanneries.
Jajmau, a suburb of Kanpur situated
on the banks of the river, has the
largest concentration of tanneries in
the city.

These leather processors have been

criticized for their large consumption
of water and discharge. On average,
one hide requires 700 litres of water
to process.
“In Kanpur, there are 23,400 registered industries.
Of these, 400 are tanneries, 10,000 are non-
polluting industries.

If we remove these, we are left with 13,000

industries. Where does their water go?

These include pulp factories, dyeing industries.

The chemicals used by the textile industry and

tanneries are almost the same.
 1985 order of the
Supreme Court asking
all tanneries to install
primary treatment
plants.

The truth is that the day they

fix the problem of tanneries,
they will not know why the
river is getting dirty.
Officials say tanneries are the worst pollutants.
“Twenty-five MLD of waste that comes from
tanneries is equivalent to 400 MLD of domestic
waste; it is that hazardous,” said Gaur. “We are not
planning to move them, but instead build a special
treatment plant for them.”

“Another benefit of the project is that it includes

100% sanitation as well. Since it is now a part of
the mission, at least sanitation has become a part
of the priority list of the government. This has
even started in a few panchayats,” he said.
 Namami Gange has
made people aware of
NGOs are hoping that
the problem, and also
the new mission works.
works across the central
They claim it has
government and state
already increased
governments, and
awareness.
across urban and rural
government bodies.
 States versus centre

That could well be the mission’s toughest challenge,

according to an official in the water resources ministry.

“A majority of the states through which the Ganga flows have

governments led by opposition parties.

The scheme is now 100% centrally funded, but is still

implemented by local authorities.

This is a major hindrance in the implementation of the

mission.
 Of the five states through which the
river flows, the BJP is in power only in
Jharkhand.

State officials, for their part, criticize the

central government for lack of support.

The cost to set up a treatment plant is

approximately Rs.7 crore per MLD.

Kanpur alone will require

approximately Rs.5,000-6,000 crore.
 They say
“There has 100%
been no Just the central They are
policy name has funding, but saying
change (in been when asked something
the changed. for money, and doing
programme The system they ask the something
to clean the is the same. state and else
Ganga). industry to
contribute.
केंद्र सरकार की महत्वाकाांक्षी योजना ”नमामम गांगे’ की रफ्तार का
आलम यह है कक सरकार वततमान ववत्त वर्त 2015-16 की प्रथम
ततमाही में इस पर एक भी रुपये खर्त नहीां कर पाई है । यह खल
ु ासा
आरटीआई के तहत माांगी गई एक जानकारी से हुआ है ।

ववत्त वर्त 2014-15 में भारत सरकार ने गांगा नदी की साफ -सफाई से
सांबांधित ‘नमामी गांगे’ योजना पर कुल 324 करोड़ 88 लाख रुपये खर्त
ककए थे। इसमें से 90 करोड़ रुपये गैर सहायततत पररयोजनाओां पर
और 324 करोड़ 88 लाख रुपये सहायततत पररयोजनाओां पर खर्े गए।
सरकार ने ववत्त वर्त 2015-16 की पहली ततमाही में गांगा साफ-सफाई पर एक पैसा भी
नहीां खर्ात है ।

ववत्त वर्त 2014-15 में गांगा साफ -सफाई पर दो बैठकें ददनाांक 27 अक्टूबर, 2014 और
26 मार्त, 2015 को हुइरां थीां, जबकक ववत्त वर्त 2015-16 में गांगा साफ -सफाई पर अब
तक कोई बैठक नहीां हुई है ।

वपछले साल जल ु ाई में अपने पहले बजट में नरें द्र मोदी ने नमामम गांगे योजना को 6300
करोड़ से अधिक का बजट आवांदटत करने की बात कही थी। गांगा नदी की सफाई और
सांरक्षण के मलए वपछले तीन दशकों में खर्त ककए गए िन में र्ार गन ु ा बढोतरी करते हुए
अगले पाांर् सालों के मलए 20,000 करोड़ रुपये के बजट को मांजूरी दी गई थी।
 • Prime minister Narendra Modi led
NDA government has now decided
to use satellites for monitoring and
Satellites controlling the pollution in polluted
Ganga River
to now • "Satellite monitoring would be
done by Isro.
monitor • Through satellites, we would be
Ganga able to monitor untreated waste
falling into river or any other
pollution source polluting river.
• "Ganga over 2,000 kilometers long
and therefore it is not possible to
monitor every part of physically.
 Clean Ganga
Project: Supreme
Court Dissatisfied

"You are unable to tell us your vision stage-

wise on cleaning the holy river Ganga and
your ultimate aim," the Supreme Court said

It suggested that the project needs "an

expert with a vision" like E Sreedharan, the
man who built India's metros“
This case is pending here in court for the last 29 years...nothing
concrete has been done. We don't want to wait for another 29
years...we also understand it can't be done overnight...but you should
have an expert who has a vision like Sreedharan," the court said.

The judges observed that if the discharge of industrial pollutants into

the river was stopped, 30 per cent of the Ganga would be clean.

But pollution boards in the states the Ganga flows through were not
stopping this, they said, because of deep-rooted corruption.
"The pollution control board has to stop industries polluting the
Ganga. Those supposed to prevent pollution are not doing their
work”

It directed the CPCB to explain what action it had taken against 215
industries situated along the Ganga, who have been charged with
polluting the river.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, who appeared for the Centre,

accepted that corruption was a huge hurdle but said the
government is committed to cleaning the river. The Supreme Court
is hearing a public interest litigation on the cleaning of the Ganga in
1985
Stop polluting Ganga or shut shop: Uma Bharti

• Using the analogy of a delivery procedure

where a mother's life may be at stake, the
minister said she would ideally like both the
mother (Ganga) and child (industry) to survive.

• But, if she has to choose between the two, she

would choose "Ma" (mother Ganga), she said.
"If the child (industry) would suck
mother's (Ganga) blood, she would prefer
the mother to survive", said Bharti.

While claiming she was running out of

patience, the minister refrained from
using harsh words at a time when
industries are voluntarily turning up to
hold consultations for finding a solution.
SC says it'll take 200 years to
clean Ganga at this rate

Supreme Court which said it seems that steps taken so

far will not lead to cleaning of the country's holiest
river even after 200 years.

The court directed the Centre to come out with a

"stage-wise plan" to clean the river for "restoring it to
its pristine glory". "The dream project is there. Please
try that the next generation is able to see the river in
its original form.
River Ganga will be free from most of its pollution
within three years
• August 21, 2014: The Union water resources Uma
Bharti said the river would be free from most of its
pollution within three years
• Announcing the year 2015-16 as "water
conservation year", she appealed to every section
of the society to join this movement.
• A public movement will launched throughout the
country for this purpose and at least one official of
the Union Water Resources Ministry will be
present in every district of the country during this
period", said the minister.
 SC asks Centre to give roadmap for
cleaningGanga

Reminding the Narendra Modi government that cleaning of Ganga

was on its poll manifesto, the Supreme Court asked why urgent
steps are not being taken on it and come up with a road map for
making the 2500 km long river pollution free.

A bench headed by Justice T S Thakur said the issue of cleaning Ganga is

very important and it has to be put on the front burner. "Are you saving
river Ganga? It was also there in your manifesto. Why don't you act on it?
The unchecked pollution of river Ganga has
evoked sharp criticism by the apex court
which has been hearing the case since 1985.

The 2,500 km stretch of the river passes

through 29 major cities, 23 small cities and
48 towns.

The ambitious 'Ganga Action Plan' to clean

the river was launched by the then Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985.
Govt asks
• July 15, 2014: Directions
48 have been issued to about
industrial 48 industrial units polluting
River Ganga to close down
units • The Ministry of Environment
polluting & Forests has identified 764
grossly polluting industries
River discharging 501 million litres
Ganga to per day of waste water into
Ganga and its major
close tributaries
down
 Namami Gange project gets
Rs2,037 crore in Union Budget

Ganga clean up project gets Rs2,037 crore in Union Budget.

In the Union Budget, the finance minister Arun Jaitley also announced
a project to promote inland/waterways on the Ganga.

Namami Gange project to be set up with an outlay of Rs.2,037 crore

for the current year.

Jaitley also announced a project to promote inland waterways on the

Ganga. Called "Jal Marg Vikas" (National Waterways-I),

It will be developed between Allahabad and Haldia, covering a distance of

1,620km completed over a period of six years at an estimated cost of
Rs.4,200 crore.
 Ganga river is more polluted now before the Ganga Action
Plan was launched
• The Ganga river is more polluted now than what it was in
1985, when the Ganga Action Plan was launched, and the
construction of dams, barrages, canals continuously pose a
threat to it“
• The entire Ganga issue has been made a political issue and
political parties, both at state level and at the centre, are
doing politics in the sake of cleaning up the Ganga river to
gain the votes of the communities concerned for the river,"
• The governments formed committee to find out ways to
protect the river, the governments not take interest in
implementing the committee's recommendations.
 37,000 • The country's key pollution
million watchdog - Central Pollution
Control Board (CPCB) - which in its
litres of report noted that nearly 37,000
million liters per day (MLD) of
sewage 'untreated' sewage water flows
into rivers across the country.
flows • The wide gap between sewage
generation (57,000 MLD) and
into treatment capacity (20,358 MLD)
kept polluting water resources - be
rivers it river water or groundwater.

daily
Model cremation ghats
on the banks of river
Ganga

Model cremation ghats on the banks of river Ganga and

promoting eco friendly methods of cremation for safe
disposal of dead bodies have been given priority in the
action plan drawn under Namami Gange programme.

An expert committee has also been formed for

evaluation of new technologies including technology
options for innovative / improvised wood based
crematorium.
 Drains choking Ganga
long drains and subsidiaries
carrying industrial and urban
waste of dangerous level while
directly falling into the 1,300-
km long stretch of the Ganga
are choking the holy river
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's 'Namami Ganga'
project, aimed at reviving the
river, would remain a non-
starter if the root causes of
rising pollution are not
addressed and innovative
methods not deployed, states
a report prepared by the UP's
irrigation department
Among the rivers merging into the Ganga, Ram
Ganga, Kali Nadi Poorva, Kali Nadi Pashchim,
Hindon, Gomti, Sai and Yamuna have a very high
level of biological oxygen demand.

The report states that unless the root causes of the

pollution in the Ganga are not addressed,
beautification of the riverfront in Varanasi will not
help

"You cant treat the lung cancer by going to a

dentist,"
 • The Integrated Ganga Conservation
Mission project called "Namami Gange"

Why was launched with an initial sum of Rs.

2,037 crore allocated in the Union
Budget 2014-15,
Clean • Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
had stated that a significant amount of

Ganga money had been spent in improving the

condition of the river as well as
conserving the same
Project • The Ministry Involved in Project Ganga :

started Union Ministry of Water Resources,

River Development & Ganga
Rejuvenation
• Supreme Court had asked the Indian Government when the Clean
Ganga project be completed.
• In its reply to the apex judicial body of the country, the national
administration had answered that the process shall take at least 18
years to be completed.

When it will be
completed
This is not an unusual target considering the length and breadth of the river in
question - it almost covers almost the entire part of northern India and
stretches from Uttarakhand in northwest to West Bengal in eastern India.

Estimated Project Duration

18 years

Project Cost
₹ 2037 crore

Project Start Date

July 2014
 Area covered in the
project
• There are five states in
India that fall in the
course of river Ganga -
Uttarakhand,
Jharkhand, Uttar
Pradesh, West Bengal
and Bihar.
• Besides, it touches
parts of Himachal
Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Haryana, Chhattisgarh,
and Delhi through its
tributaries.
 Implementation of the project

• The Namami Gange project will be

implemented in several stages.
• While the exact details are not known yet, one
understands that it will involve activities such
as cleaning up the tributaries to start with.
• The authorities will also be supposed to
manage the cities through which the river is
flowing so that the industrial units in these
cities do not dump their effluents and wastes
over there.
Development of tourism will also be an
important part of this project because
it shall help meet the expenses
towards the upkeep of the project.

The authorities may also look to

develop a channel that runs from
Allahabad till Haldia in West Bengal
that shall help in navigation.
Major issues for the project
• To start with, the major problem for the Namami Gange
project is going to be the sheer size of
• 2500 km
and passes through
• 29 big cities
• 48 towns
• 23 similar cities
• In addition to that, the immense levels of pollution in the
river
• dumping of industrial sewage and waste
• garbage by common people have left the river in a bad
condition.
 • One of the major controversies
surrounding the Clean Ganga
project has been the difference
of opinion among the members
of the panel that has been
Controversy constituted for ruuning it.
surrounding
the project
• The committee had been set up
during July 2014 with
secretaries from various
departments.
 One of the major issues
There is also difference of
surrounding the project has
opinion regarding
been getting back flood-land
importance of inland
for the gradually increasing
waterways.
population of these areas.
 Ganga still waiting for Modi's Midas touch:
Supreme Court slams Centre for slow progress
on cleaning holy river
• While filing his nomination as a BJP candidate
from Varanasi for the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said
he had not entered the holy city of his own
volition, but rather Maa Ganga (Mother
Ganga) had called him there.
• Subsequently, he had also promised to clean
the holy river. But the ground reality is very
different.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA)
government first came in for criticism from the
Supreme Court over its slow progress in Modi’s
ambitious Clean Ganga mission

Various schemes and fund utilisation, under the

National Ganga Plan, are static

lack of separate allocations for schemes.

Under the Clean Ganga project, funds to the tune
of Rs 1,500 crore which were allocated for the
National Ganga Plan in the last budget have not
yet been utilised

The only expenditure under the project in 2014-

15 was under the Yamuna Action Plan. A total of
Rs 4.36 crore was spent from the Rs 8 crore
allocated for the scheme.

Approvals undoubtedly reflected the casual

manner
The budgetary provisions for the National River Conservation Plan,
the National Ganga River Basin Authority and the National Ganga
Plan had been increased, the panel said:

“We feel the government is yet to take the first step towards the
enormous task of cleaning and rejuvenating Ganga.

Interestingly, the panel observed that there was a difference

between the expenditure predicted by the ministry and that quoted
by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) consortium, which was
entrusted to prepare Ganga River Basin Management Plan.
In its reply, the government had said a consortium of
IITs was preparing a road map for the project.

The Centre also proposed the setting up of 80 Sewage

Treatment Plants (STPs) which, in a day, would
process 368 million litres of water flowing into the
river in the five river basin states.

The prime minister, in many high-level meetings, had

emphasised the need for a time bound, swift and
single-minded focus to clean the river Ganga.
The Narendra Modi-led government has
divided the Ganga Rejuvenation Plan into
pollution control, Ganga basin
management and beautification of ghats
and river fronts.

Cleaning the Ganga is in the priority list of

the government and the budget allocation
to the project clearly showed their intent.
What steps have been taken so far by the Modi
government for the cleaning of River Ganga? Has
any actual ground work started yet for the same?
 1. "Namami Gange"project Modi government
announced a Rs 6,300-plus crore 'Namami Gange'
scheme.
• While Rs 2037 crore will go into rejuvenating the
river,
• another Rs 4200 crore will be spent on developing a
navigation corridor in the next six years.
• Then there is a Rs 100 crore project dedicated to
ghat development and watierfront beautification.
• The government also announced a 'NRI Ganga fund'
to help drive fund collection, the money from
which will be spent on 'special projects'.
2. "HARIYALI" a plantation project is being started along the
stretch of river Ganga in all five states through which it flows i.e
Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar , Jharkhand and West Bengal.

The plantation will be montered every six months and a video

recording will be sent to the party's headquater every time for
verification.

3. Narender Modi has created a special ministry for cleaning the

river Ganga and senior leader Uma Bharti has been given the
responsibility of it.
• Pollution in Ganga
Ganga was ranked as second-most polluted river
in the world in 2013 after Citarum river of
Indonesia.
• A report of international journal Nature claimed
that pollution level in the river was about 3000
times of the safe limit prescribed for human use
by World Health Organisation (WHO).
• Earlier in 2007, Ganga was ranked as the fifth
most polluted river of the world.
• This pollution have an impact on about 140 fish
species, 90 amphibian species and the
endangered Ganga river dolphins.
• Government Efforts towards cleaning Ganga
In order to clean Ganga which is revered by
Indians, the Union Government had launched the
Phase-I of the ambitious Ganga Action Plan in
1985 when Rajeev Gandhi was the Prime Minister.
The phase-I got completed in March 2000.

In 1993, Phase-II of the programme was

approved. Phase-II included tributaries of the
river Ganga namely, Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar
and Mahananda and is currently under
implementation.
• In April 2011, Union Government approved a project
under the National Ganga River Basin Authority
(NGRBA) with World Bank assistance. The project
was approved at an estimated cost of 7000 crore
rupees. The principal objective of the NGRBA was to
fund creation of pollution abatement infrastructure
for conservation and restoration of water quality of
the river.

On 10 July 2014, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in

his maiden Union Budget 2014-15 announced to
launch Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission
NAMAMI GANGE at an outlay of 2037 crore rupees and
to set up NRI Fund for Ganga.
• India’s most worshipped river, the Ganga,
continues to be the fifth most polluted river in
the world, despite a 29-year-old clean-up plan

• “The Ganga today is more polluted than when

the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was launched,”
 Ganga to be one of the cleanest river by
oct. 2018 : Uma Bharti(nov.17,2015)
‘if u think we have stopped taking steps towards clean
ganga, it is not so. Before any big race , a sprinter stops a bit
, assesses the destination and then sprints towards it. So our
destination is oct 2018 when we will show it to world that
ganga is one of the cleanest river of world” Bharti said.

She is speaking at water innovation summit 2015 organized

by Confederation of Indian Industry(CII) at Triveni water
institute (Jaipur) which is associated with different industries
in conducting a detailed water management study
operational from feb-2008.
She said for first time interlinking of
rivers will takes place, pointing to
linking of Ken-Betwa rivers, which will
involve two big states UP & MP.

She also mention about the central plan

of linking Damanganga-Pinjal and Par-
Tapi-Narmada river linking projects
soon with Maharastra and Gujarat govt.
• The pollution of Ganga is happening despite government
spending thousands of crores of rupees since 1985.
• A clean Ganga will not happen unless the government
brings in a change in the mind-set of people living along
the river.
• In addition, it would have to ban use of chemicals in
agriculture; make throwing garbage into the river an
offence, satellite based monitoring for polluting industries
and not allowing any more dams on the river.
• Many environmentalists believe it is an impossible task as
it would require huge public investment.
Information collected from :

NMCG website

Different newspaper
coverings

images from Google

images etc