Key Achievements of Namami Gange Programme

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• About Namami Gange Programme
• What are the Key Achievements under the Programme?
• News Summary Regarding New Projects under the Programme

Why in News?

• The Jal Shakti Ministry’s National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) cleared eight projects worth ₹638 crore under the Namami Gange Programme.

About Namami Gange Programme:

• It is an integrated conservation mission, approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crores.
• It is administered by the Ministry of Jal Shakti‘s Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, to accomplish the twin objectives of –
  • Effective abatement of pollution,
  • Conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
• The program would be implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its state counterpart organisations i.e., State Program Management Groups (SPMGs).
  • NMCG is the implementation wing of National Ganga Council (NGC), which replaced the National Ganga River Basin Authority.
  • NGC was created in 2016 under the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities Order, 2016, and is headed by the PM.
• In order to implement the programme, a three-tier mechanism has been proposed for project monitoring comprising of:
  • A high-level task force chaired by Cabinet Secretary assisted by NMCG at the national level,
  • State level committee chaired by Chief Secretary assisted by SPMG at the state level and
  • District level committee chaired by the District Magistrate.
• Its implementation has been divided into –
  • Entry-Level Activities (for immediate visible impact),
  • Medium-Term Activities (to be implemented within 5 years of time frame) and
  • Long-Term Activities (to be implemented within 10 years).

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What are the Key Achievements under the Programme?

• Creating Sewage Treatment Capacity: 98 sewage projects have been completed in the states of UK, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, etc.
• Creating River-Front Development: The projects for the construction, modernisation, and renovation of 267 Ghats/Crematoria and Kunds/Ponds have been initiated.
• River Surface Cleaning: River Surface cleaning for collection of floating solid waste from the surface of the Ghats and River and its disposal are afoot and pushed into service at 11 locations.
• Biodiversity Conservation: Cadre of volunteers (Ganga Praharis) have been developed and trained to support conservation actions in the field
• Public Awareness: Ganga Praharis and Ganga Doots are engaged in spreading awareness through planting trees, cleaning ghats, Ganga Aarti, painting and poems.
• Industrial Effluent Monitoring: Regulation and enforcement through regular and surprise inspections of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) is carried out for compliance verification against stipulated environmental norms.
• Deploying best available knowledge and resources across the world: Clean Ganga has been a perennial attraction for many international countries that have expertise in river rejuvenation.

News Summary Regarding New Projects under the Programme:

• The projects include the rejuvenation of river Hindon, a tributary of the Yamuna, stretches of which rank as among the most polluted in the country.
• This clean-up projects (in Shamli district, UP) are construction of a 5 million litres per day (MLD) sewage treatment plant (STP), 5 KLD (kilo litres a day) septage co-treatment facility, etc;
• A project for the development of seven ghats in Prayagraj was also approved, as part of preparations for the Mahakumbh in 2025.
  • These ghats will have amenities such as areas for bathing, changing rooms, universal access ramp, drinking water points, floodlights, kiosks and landscaping.
• Two more sewage treatment projects were approved, one each in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
  • In Bihar, a project to construct three STPs was approved to prevent the flow of polluted water into the river Kiul, a tributary of the Ganga.
  • In Madhya Pradesh, one common effluent treatment plant (CETP) was approved to prevent the flow of polluted water into the river Kshipra, which is a sub-tributary of the Yamuna.
• Another project for ghat development was approved for Haridwar, Uttarakhand where Akhand Param Dham ghat will be constructed.

Q1) How does the sewage treatment plant work?

As sewage enters a plant for treatment, it flows through a screen, which removes large floating objects such as rags and sticks that might clog pipes or damage equipment. After sewage has been screened, it passes into a grit chamber, where cinders, sand, and small stones settle to the bottom.

Q2) What are the main tributaries of river Ganga?

Major left-bank tributaries include the Gomti River, Ghaghara River, Gandaki River and Kosi River; major right-bank tributaries include the Yamuna River, Son River, Punpun and Damodar.

Source: Ganga mission clears projects worth ₹638 crore | India.gov.in | NMCG.nic.in