Can Clean India campaign pave way for reversing Ganga pollution curve?

Can Clean India campaign pave way for reversing Ganga pollution curve?

News:

1. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) study was carried out across eight states to assess Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) – Clean India campaign.

Important Facts:

2. The study was carried out across eight states to explore the implementation of septic tanks in villages.
3. 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.

4. 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 .
5. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.