Ganga River Basin Authority for Comprehensive Management of the Ganga Basin

AUTHORITY ENSURES DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS IN SUSTAINABLE MANNER ENSURING ECOLOGICAL FLOWS IN GANGA 

Lok Sabha 

The Government today announced the setting up of a National Ganga River Basin Authority. A statement to this effect was made in Parliament by Shri Namo Narain Meena, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment & Forests. A Notification in this regard is also being issued by the Government. 

The need for revamping the Ganga cleaning program was being widely recognised. Hitherto, the implementation has been piecemeal and focussed more on municipal sewage. The problem is compounded by inadequate flows. It was felt that a comprehensive response is necessary, covering water quality and flow, sustainable access, prevention and control of pollution, food and energy security, in the form of a national mission by giving the Ganga the status of a national river. Ganga has a special place in the hearts and minds of all Indians and this needs to be recognised. It was felt that a model for river cleaning should be set up through a new institutional mechanism. 

Accordingly, the Central Government has decided to give the Ganga the status of a ‘National River’ and set up a ‘National Ganga River Basin Authority’ as an empowered planning, financing monitoring and coordinating authority for the Ganga River under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The Authority will be chaired by the Prime Minister and have as its members, the Chief Ministers of the states through which the Ganga flows viz. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The Ministers of Environment & Forests, Finance, Urban Development, Water Resources, Power, Science & Technology and the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission will also be Members. The Authority may co-opt one or more Chief Ministers from any of the States having major tributaries of the river Ganga. The Authority may also co-opt upto five members who are experts in the fields of river conservation, hydrology, environmental engineering, social mobilization and such other fields. 

The Authority will be vested with appropriate powers to carry out its functions. It will be a planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority for strengthening the collective efforts of the Central and the State Governments for effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga. The Authority would combine regulatory and developmental functions keeping in view the powers vested with State Governments and its institutions. 

The National Ganga River Basin Authority would be responsible for addressing the problem of pollution in the Ganga in a holistic and comprehensive manner. This will include water quality, minimum ecological flows, sustainable access and other issues relevant to river ecology and management. Under the new approach, the river basin will be the unit of planning. The Authority would seek to maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development; 

Its functions will include:- 

• Development of river basin management plan and regulation of activities aimed at the prevention, control and abatement of pollution in the river Ganga to maintain its water quality, and to take such other measures relevant to river ecology and management in the Ganga Basin States; 

• Maintenance of minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development; 

• Measures necessary for planning, financing and execution of programmes for abatement of pollution in the river Ganga including augmentation of sewerage infrastructure, catchment area treatment, protection of flood plains, creating public awareness and such other measures for promoting environmentally sustainable river conservation; 

• Collection, analysis and dissemination of information relating to environmental pollution in the river Ganga; 

• Investigations and research regarding problems of environmental pollution and conservation of the river Ganga; 

• Creation of special purpose vehicles, as appropriate, for implementation of works vested with the Authority; 

• Promotion of water conservation practices including recycling and reuse, rain water harvesting, and decentralised sewage treatment systems; 

• Monitoring and review of the implementation of various programmes or activities taken up for prevention, control and abatement of pollution in the river Ganga; and 

• Issuance of directions under section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for the purpose of exercising and performing all or any of its functions. 

The Authority shall be headquartered at New Delhi. The jurisdiction of the Authority shall extend to the States through which the river Ganga flows, namely, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal and such other States, having major tributaries of the river Ganga, as the Authority may decide for the purpose of effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga. 

There shall be a corpus of funds provided by the Central Government for implementing such projects, programmes and other activities as may be decided by the Authority. 

The Authority shall be provided administrative and technical support by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, which shall be the nodal Ministry. 

The State Governments concerned may constitute State Ganga River Conservation Authorities under the chairmanship of these Chief Ministers for coordinating and implementing the river conservation activities at the State level. 

It is expected that this initiative would rejuvenate the collective efforts of the Centre and States for cleaning the river Ganga and help accomplish the mission that had been initiated in 1985 by the then Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi.