After being elected to the Parliament from Varanasi on the Ganges coast in Uttar Pradesh in May 2014, Prime Minister Modi had said, ‘ Serving Mother Ganges is in my destiny. ‘River Ganges is not only cultural and spiritual, but 40% of the population depends on river Ganga. Addressing the Indian community in Madison Square Garden in New York in 2014, the Prime Minister had said, “If we were able to clean it, it would prove to be a great help to 40% of the country’s population. Therefore, cleaning of the Ganga is also an economic agenda”.
In order to implement this thinking, the government launched a unified Ganga Conservation Mission called ‘Namami Gange’ to end the pollution of river Ganges and revive the river. The Union Cabinet has approved the proposed work plan of the center to spend Rs 20,000 crores on the cleaning of the river by 2019-2020 and it will have a central plan of 100% central share.
Objective:
Understanding that the challenge of Ganga protection is multi-sectoral and multi-dimensional and it has the role of many stakeholders, to improve the coordination between the various ministries and the center-state and to increase participation of everyone in the preparation of the work plan. Attempts have been made to improve monitoring system at the center and at the state level.
Implementation of the program is to introduce initial level activities (to show immediate effect), medium-term activities (to be implemented within 5 years of the time limit), and long-term activities (to be implemented within 10 years) Is divided.
Under the initial level activities, to solve the problems of solid waste flowing from the surface of the river; From the cleaning of rural areas to the construction of miles (solid and liquid) and toilets coming from the drains of rural areas; Renovation, modernization and construction of the crematorium, to prevent the burning of dead or partially burnt bodies in the river, to improve relations between people and rivers, the goal of construction, repair and modernization of ghats is fixed.
Benefits:
Under medium-term activities, attention will be taken to resolve the problem of waste coming from the municipal and industries in the river. In order to solve the problem of garbage coming from the municipal corporation, additional treatment capacity of 2500 MLD will be created in the next 5 years. Major financial improvements are being made to make this program better and sustainable over a long period. Currently, the Cabinet Hybrid Annuity based Public Private Partnership model is being considered for implementation of the project. If it is approved, the special purpose vehicle will manage the concession in all major cities, a market for the water used will be made and the long-term sustainability of the assets will be ensured.
Apart from these activities, steps are also being taken to monitor the quality of biodiversity conservation, afforestation (forestry), and water quality under this program. Programs have already been started for the protection of important dignitaries, such as – Golden Mahasir, Dolphin, Gandhi, Turtle, and Butterfly etc. Similarly, under the ‘Namami Gange’, the increase of aquifers, reducing erosion and improving the status of the ecosystem of the river will be planted on 30,000 hectares of land. Afforestation program will be started in 2016. 113 real-time water quality monitoring centers will be set up to monitor the quality of water on a large scale.
Under the long duration, the determination of e-flow, better water utilization capacity, and better capacity of surface irrigation will ensure adequate flow of the river.
It is important to mention that the cleaning of river Ganges is very complex due to its socio-economic and cultural importance and exploitation for various uses. This kind of complex program has never been implemented in the world and for this, participation in all areas of the country and every citizen is essential.
There are various ways through which we can all contribute to the cleaning of the Ganga River:
- A contribution of funds: There is a need for heavy investment to restore the huge population and the quality of such a large and long river Ganges. The government has already four times the budget but still, it will not be enough according to the requirements. Clean Ganga Fund has been created in which you can contribute money to clean all the Ganges River.
- Reduce, reuse and recovery (most of the situation): Most of us do not know that the water we used and the dirt of our homes eventually go to the rivers only if they are right No settlement has been done. The government is already building infrastructure related to drains but can reduce the use of civil waste and water. With the recovery of used water, biological waste and plastic and its reuse, this program can get considerable benefits.
Contact Details:
The National Mission for Clean Ganga happens to be the department in charge of this project and so they should be taking care or for the same.
Some Important Links:
http://nmcg.nic.in/NamamiGanga.aspx
Eligibility and Conditions: NA
Required Documents: NA
How to Apply: NA
Conclusion:
A meeting of representatives of Odisha and Chhattisgarh government was convened in New Delhi to consider various issues and projects in the Mahanadi Basin. The meeting was organized in the context of the assurance given by Central Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Defense Minister on July 26 in the Parliament. A high level technical team was formed to assess the ground reality of the Kaveri basin, which was headed by Chairman Central Water Commission, GS Jha.
Based on satellite images, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) conducted paleo-channels in the northwest part of India, which found that the Paleo channels started from the Aravali hills along the Himalayas and increased to the south, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan And flow in Gujarat states A draft bill has been prepared for the formation of a corporation named Brahmaputra Barak North East River Development Corporation.
