In their order dated 6th November, 2024, National Green Tribunal (NGT) said according to the report from Uttar Pradesh, there was a gap of 128 millions per day (MLD) in sewage treatment in Prayagraj District. Also, 25 untapped drains discharged untreated sewage into the Ganga in the district and 15 untapped drains discharged the sullage into the Yamuna.
The NGT further said that out of the 326 drains disclosed in the report of the Central Pollution Control Board dated 22nd October, 2024, 247 drains are untapped in U.P. and discharging 3,513.6 MLD of waste water into the river Ganga and its tributaries.
The Ganga – one of India’s longest rivers, and one that supports a population of around 400 million by one estimate – has been the target of cleaning programmes since the mid-1980s, due to the sewage and industrial effluents that find their way to the river. As per a 2020 government estimate, 2,953 million litres of sewage is generated by 97 towns along the Ganga, and flows into the main stem of the Ganga every day.
While the first Ganga Action Plan, which implemented 260 schemes on the main stem of the Ganga, was initiated in 1985, the National Ganga River Basin Authority, under which ‘Mission Clean Ganga’ was initiated came into force in 2009. Its objectives involved addressing wastewater management, solid waste management, industrial pollution, and river front development along the Ganga. The authority was dissolved in 2016, after the Union government constituted the National Ganga Council.
The union government launched the Namami Gange programme in 2014 as part of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
Under Namami Gange Programme, up to January, 2022, a total of 364 projects have been sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 30,853 Cr and 183 projects have been completed and made operational. Out of these 364 projects, 160 projects belong to sewerage infrastructure projects have been taken up for creation and rehabilitation of 5024 Million Litres per Day (MLD) of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) capacity and laying of 5227 km of sewerage network, out of which 76 projects have been completed resulting in creation and rehabilitation of 1,079 MLD of STP capacity and laying of 3860 km sewerage network.
Rest of the projects are at various stages of implementation. Apart from the main Ganga Stem, projects are also taken up in 15 tributaries namely Yamuna, Kosi, Saryu, Ramganga, Kali (West), Kali (East), Gomti, Son, Barakar, Hindon, Burhi Gandak, Banka, Damodar, Rispana-Bindal and Chambal.
It is unfortunate that Namami Gange programme started in 2014 and pumping in almost Rs 31,100 Cr during the decade (2014-24), the pollution level in the river has not reduced significantly. Sewage treatment plants that have been installed are not doing an efficient job.
The then Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Bishweswar Tudu, told the Lok Sabha in a written reply on February 8, 2024 that until December 31, 2023, 457 projects had been taken up under the Namami Gange programme at a cost of Rs 38,438.05 crores. Of these, only 280 have been completed and “made operational”. Most of these projects pertain to construction of sewage infrastructure – such as sewage treatment plants or STPs – the minister said in the statement.
Though huge amount of money has gone into the project, several activities that adversely impact the river and its flow continue to happen, and unregulated. These include illegal sand mining, riverfront development projects that are being built not to sustain the river but to channelize it and river navigation projects that require dredging the river that further interferes with the river’s flow. Another concern are river tourism projects wherein luxury properties have been built on the floodplains of the river.
Lessons from Covid lockdown
Earlier, other than stretches in Uttarakhand and a couple of places as the river enters Uttar Pradesh, the river water was found to be unfit for bathing the whole way till it drains into the Bay of Bengal in West Bengal. However, during the Covid lock down phase the improvement in the quality of water has also been observed in Ganga’s tributaries like Hindon and Yamuna.
What ‘Namami Gange’ the Centre’s flagship programme to clean the Ganga, couldn’t achieve in several years nature has done in three weeks during the Covid lock down phase. According to the experts, the organic pollution level gets diluted in the river but it is the chemical pollution by industries that destroy the river’s self-cleansing properties. During the Covid lockdown period since the chemical pollution by the industries into the river was almost zero, the self-cleaning properties have improved due to which the water quality had improved.
Management of sewage and agricultural waste generated after using pesticides are two other major challenges as they enter the Ganga River contaminating its waters.
While UP State contributes to 75% of the pollution load in Ganges, Kanpur city is the highest polluting city in UP. If the main parties to the issue i.e., industries in Kanpur and the UP-State Pollution Control Board adopt a collaborative approach this issue can be resolved once for all.
Instead of protecting rivers by stopping pollutants from entering them, we continue polluting them and cleaning them at the same time, which is the basic flaw in all the river cleaning projects.
Urban sewage will need to be treated upstream and prevented from entering rivers. All urban centres on rivers’ banks should design innovative project plans to reuse treated sewage water for secondary or tertiary needs. Industrial facilities, business centres, residential apartments and places of congregation should not be set up on river banks and in catchment areas. Irrigation projects, power projects, mining and tourism activities should also be strictly rationalised, for the good of the environment.
It is not enough if we have comprehensive policies on river water management but we need to effectively implement the same without deviations.
The author has few suggestions in this regard as under:
The construction of the common infrastructure for effluent, sewage treatment and recycling at the various specified locations to be done under a PPP Model. The Government may handover the same to SPVs floated by all the industrial bodies whose members are operating industries in these specified locations. This SPV to take up the responsibility of maintenance and upgradation of the common infrastructure, collect the maintenance/ user charges from the industrial units. The SPV to set up an industrial waste water treatment plant for removal of metals and chemicals and recycle the treated waters by supplying to the industries by collecting water charges.
In addition to the above, Urban Municipalities to start sewage water treatment and recycling plants and supply the treated (sewage) water back to the industrial units be levying water charges. Government may consider part funding this PPP Model under the viability gap funding norms. Loans to these SPVs may be given by banks and FIs at concessional interest rates on long term basis under sustainable development programmes.
Both treated and untreated effluents and sewage waters should not be allowed to enter the rivers and instead the same should be recycled by levying user charges.
The above suggestions if implemented will not only resolve once for all the current problem of untreated industrial effluents and sewage waters entering into the Ganges River but also additionally generate some revenues from the same through proper treatment and recycling mechanism, leading to sustainable business practices.
Experts say the improvement in the Ganga’s water during the lockdown is a sign that the river can recover. However, recovery of the river and restoration of its purity will totally depend on collective human efforts.
Let us hope the major stakeholders- industries, State Governments and Central Government will think collectively and work towards a permanent solution to restore the Ganga River back to its glory.
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