Absence of long-term plan, unutilised funds hampering rejuvenation of Ganga

Aksheev Thakur

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New Delhi, July 28

Unutilised funds, absence of a long-term plan, lack of sewage treatment plant with optimum capacity and non-compliance of pollution norms by industries are hampering the rejuvenation of the Ganga, said a parliamentary panel report.

The Public Accounts Committee report said, “The committee finds the absence of a long-term action plan for the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) alarming. It urges the NMCG to prioritise the development of a comprehensive river basin management plan that can guide the project’s implementation effectively.”

“The plan should be shared with various ministries and departments. Besides, a definite timeline should be set for cleaning the Ganga river and maintaining its cleanliness in subsequent phases of the Namami Gange programme.”

The Namami Gange Mission-I and II were approved by the Union Cabinet with a dedicated outlay of Rs 20,000 crore and Rs 22,500 crore, respectively, for the clean-up of the Ganga. The Union Government had released funds to the tune of Rs 13,797.77 crore till 2022-23, but the NMCG had only spent Rs 13,297.43 crore.

Additionally, the committee also found gaps in the sewage treatment infrastructure. It noted that about 3,603 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage was generated by 97 towns situated on the main stem of the Ganga river (based on the projected population for 2035). However, only about 2,100 MLD is being treated, while the rest of the untreated sewage goes directly into the river, the report said.

As many as 2,706 industries were classified as “Grossly Polluting Industrial Units” that were causing discharge of pollutants in the river in five states.

During the audit, 332 of these were found to be temporarily closed, 144 were shut down permanently, while 463 units were still not complying with the norms.