Cleaning of Ganga river and impact of Climate Change
Cleaning of Ganga started in 1985..Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase I was launched as a centrally funded scheme with the objective of improving the water quality of the Ganga. Various pollution abatement works like Interception & Diversion of sewage, setting up of sewage treatment plants, low cost sanitation works, crematoria works, etc. were taken up. GAP Phase – II included the major tributaries of Ganga namely, Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar and Mahananda, besides Ganga. GAP Phase II was merged with the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) in December, 1996. An expenditure of Rs.837.40 crore has been incurred for river Ganga, and a sewage treatment capacity of 1025 million liters per day (mld) has been created so far under both the phases of the Plan.
Water quality monitoring carried out by reputed institutions such as, IIT, Kanpur, BHEL, Patna University, etc. indicates that, water quality of the river Ganga conforms to the prescribed standards in terms of key indicators, namely, Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) at most of the locations, except in the stretch between Kannauj and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. However, the levels of fecal coliforms are reported to be exceeding the maximum permissible limit at a number of monitoring stations along the river Ganga.
The Central Government has constituted the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 on 20th February, 2009 as an empowered planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority for conservation of the Ganga River with a holistic river basin approach. The Authority has both regulatory and developmental functions. Action has been initiated for preparation of a comprehensive Ganga river basin management plan which will form the basis for formulation of projects. States have been requested to prepare priority projects for critical pollution hotspots and major towns on Ganga and fast track the implementation of ongoing projects.
Conservation of rivers is an ongoing and collective effort of the Central and State Governments. River conservation activities such as creation of civic infrastructure for sewage management and disposal are also being implemented under other central schemes, such as Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns, as well as under state schemes.
Currently, sewage treatment capacity of 1025 mld is available against about 3000 mld being generated in the towns along Ganga. To address this gap, the first meeting of the NGRBA held on 5th October 2009 resolved that by the year 2020, it will be ensured that no untreated municipal sewage or industrial effluent flows into Ganga. The investment required to create the necessary treatment and sewerage infrastructure will be shared suitably between Centre and States after consultation with the States, Ministry of Finance and the Planning Commission.
According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change, the Himalayan Glaciers are receding faster than in any part of the world and, if the present rate continues, the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high if the Earth keeps getting warmer at the current rate.
The various scientific studies indicate that the glaciers of Himalaya including glaciers of major rivers like Ganga and Yamuna are receding at varying rates in different regions. Accordingly, due to melting of ice, consequent upon faster recession, the runoff of the Himalayan Rivers may initially increase marginally. Thereafter, there may be decrease in water availability.
A National Action Plan on Climate Change was launched in June 2008 which envisages the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-system amongst its 8 National Missions. This Mission would seek to understand weather and the extent to which the Himalayan glaciers are in recession and how the problem could be addressed.
A new research centre on Himalayan Glaciology has been established at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun. Guidelines and best practices for the governance for sustaining Himalayan Eco-system has been developed and shared with all State Governments in the Himalayan Region.
This information was given by the Shri Namo Narain Meena, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and currently looking after Ministry of Environment and Forests in a return reply to question by Dr. Janardhan Waghmare, Shri Janeshwar Mishra and Smt Kusum Rai in the Rajya Sabha today.
Cleaning of Ganga started in 1985..Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase I was launched as a centrally funded scheme with the objective of improving the water quality of the Ganga. Various pollution abatement works like Interception & Diversion of sewage, setting up of sewage treatment plants, low cost sanitation works, crematoria works, etc. were taken up. GAP Phase – II included the major tributaries of Ganga namely, Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar and Mahananda, besides Ganga. GAP Phase II was merged with the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) in December, 1996. An expenditure of Rs.837.40 crore has been incurred for river Ganga, and a sewage treatment capacity of 1025 million liters per day (mld) has been created so far under both the phases of the Plan.
Water quality monitoring carried out by reputed institutions such as, IIT, Kanpur, BHEL, Patna University, etc. indicates that, water quality of the river Ganga conforms to the prescribed standards in terms of key indicators, namely, Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Dissolved Oxygen (DO) at most of the locations, except in the stretch between Kannauj and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. However, the levels of fecal coliforms are reported to be exceeding the maximum permissible limit at a number of monitoring stations along the river Ganga.
The Central Government has constituted the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 on 20th February, 2009 as an empowered planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority for conservation of the Ganga River with a holistic river basin approach. The Authority has both regulatory and developmental functions. Action has been initiated for preparation of a comprehensive Ganga river basin management plan which will form the basis for formulation of projects. States have been requested to prepare priority projects for critical pollution hotspots and major towns on Ganga and fast track the implementation of ongoing projects.
Conservation of rivers is an ongoing and collective effort of the Central and State Governments. River conservation activities such as creation of civic infrastructure for sewage management and disposal are also being implemented under other central schemes, such as Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns, as well as under state schemes.
Currently, sewage treatment capacity of 1025 mld is available against about 3000 mld being generated in the towns along Ganga. To address this gap, the first meeting of the NGRBA held on 5th October 2009 resolved that by the year 2020, it will be ensured that no untreated municipal sewage or industrial effluent flows into Ganga. The investment required to create the necessary treatment and sewerage infrastructure will be shared suitably between Centre and States after consultation with the States, Ministry of Finance and the Planning Commission.
According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Inter Governmental Panel on Climate Change, the Himalayan Glaciers are receding faster than in any part of the world and, if the present rate continues, the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high if the Earth keeps getting warmer at the current rate.
The various scientific studies indicate that the glaciers of Himalaya including glaciers of major rivers like Ganga and Yamuna are receding at varying rates in different regions. Accordingly, due to melting of ice, consequent upon faster recession, the runoff of the Himalayan Rivers may initially increase marginally. Thereafter, there may be decrease in water availability.
A National Action Plan on Climate Change was launched in June 2008 which envisages the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Eco-system amongst its 8 National Missions. This Mission would seek to understand weather and the extent to which the Himalayan glaciers are in recession and how the problem could be addressed.
A new research centre on Himalayan Glaciology has been established at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun. Guidelines and best practices for the governance for sustaining Himalayan Eco-system has been developed and shared with all State Governments in the Himalayan Region.
This information was given by the Shri Namo Narain Meena, Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and currently looking after Ministry of Environment and Forests in a return reply to question by Dr. Janardhan Waghmare, Shri Janeshwar Mishra and Smt Kusum Rai in the Rajya Sabha today.
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