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Can Clean India campaign pave way for reversing Ganga pollution curve?
News:
- Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) study was carried out across eight states to assess Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) – Clean India campaign.
Important Facts:
- The study was carried out across eight states to explore the implementation of septic tanks in villages.
- About Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM):
- Swachh Bharat Mission is a massive mass movement that seeks to create a Clean India by 2019.
- The mission will cover all rural and urban areas.
- The urban component of the mission will be implemented by the Ministry of Urban Development, and the rural component by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.
- Under Swachh Bharat Mission, 4,471 villages have been declared open defecation-free along the Ganga basin with almost complete coverage in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh .
- Findings of CPCB assessment
- Domestic sewage from towns and villages along the Ganga is the main source of pollution (over 70%) in the river.
- Industrial effluents contribute to the rest of the pollution (30%).
- The faecal coliform (bacteria) levels in the Ganga stretches flowing through Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand in the past four years have not decreased considerably.
- Along Ganga, water table is quite high and the septic tanks if not de-sludged properly, then the wastewater can leach into the groundwater.
- In many towns, there is no control over the design of pit tanks or on how they will be emptied.
- The septic tanks used in many urban areas under SBM cause second-generation problems either due to faulty construction or careless treatment of faecal sludge.
- Recommendations to decrease the sewage load:
- Careful monitoring of septic tanks or pit designs.
- Reuse of sludge for compost.
- A decentralised approach in treating the sludge.
- SBM guidelines a solution to decrease the sewage load:
- On-site treatment plants:According to guidelines, if there is no sewerage facility, an on-site treatment system like twin pits, septic tanks, bio-digesters, or bio-tanks should be constructed for the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage.
- Twin-pit toilets: These are being built under SBM as treatment plants and do not require any faecal sludge treatment and the excreta turns into nutrient-rich compost after a year and can be used in farms.
Awareness: Creating mass awareness through a multimedia campaign and interpersonal communication in villages regarding sewage tanks, design etc.