Seven years on, mission to clean the Ganga remains a work in progress

Source: The post is based on the article “Seven years on, mission to clean the Ganga remains a work in progress” published in The Hindu on 2^nd September 2023.

Syllabus: GS 3 – Environment – Pollution

Relevance: Achievements of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)

News: National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has been allotted ₹20,000-crore to conserve and rejuvenate the Ganga River. The article explains the achievements made by the Mission till now.

What have been the achievements of NMCG?

In seven years, NMCG has only managed to install sewage treatment plants (STPs) capable of treating 20% of sewage in five major Ganga states. This is projected to increase to 33% by 2024 and 60% by Dec 2026.

Based on an estimated 11,765 MLD sewage, NMCG aims to create sewage treatment plants with 7,000 MLD capacity by 2026 while states will contribute to the remaining capacity through their efforts and government initiatives.

As of July 2023, STPs capable of treating 2,665 million litres per day (MLD) have been commissioned and are now functional.

However, there have been delays in commissioning some of the plants due to problems with land acquisition and the need to revise the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs).

At present, Uttarakhand (36) has the highest number of STPs, followed by Uttar Pradesh (35) and West Bengal (11).

The Namami Gange Mission, a flagship initiative under NMCG, constitute approximately 80% of the project’s total expenditure.

Must Read: Cleaning of River Ganga – Explained

What have been the consequences of these achievements?

The number of dolphins in the Ganga River has increased from 2,000 to about 4,000. Dolphins can now also be found in new areas of the river and its tributaries.

Fishermen are also noticing more Indian carp, a type of fish that can only live in clean water.  These all signs show that there has been improvement in the river water quality.

What is the way ahead?

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) uses a number of parameters to measure water quality, such as dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, and faecal coliform.

However, these parameters vary widely along different stretches of the river.

Therefore, the NMCG is in the process of creating a river-water quality index, similar to the air quality index, to communicate better regarding the quality of river water.