The National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG) approved 7 projects worth Rs 692 crore for the construction of Sewage Treatment Plants(STP)and other works to prevent pollution of the river Ganga and its tributaries.
- The projects were approved at the 50th meeting of the Executive Committee of NMCG held on 1st August 2023, under chairmanship of G. Asok Kumar, Director General(DG) of NMCG.
Three Projects in Uttar Pradesh:
Three projects worth Rs. 661.74 crore for sewage management in Uttar Pradesh were authorised at the meeting.
i.The construction of a 100 Million Litres per Day (MLD) STP in Lucknow, together with Interception and Diversion (I&D) operations, to be carried out under the Hybrid Annuity Mode(HAD).
ii.The development of a 50 MLD STP in Prayagraj, as well as the I&D of the balance discharge from the Dariyabad Pipalghat and Dariyabad Kakahraghat drains, has been approved.
- The existing treatment capacity of Naini STP in Prayagraj’s sewerage district-A will be increased to 80 MLD by this project, which will cost around Rs. 186.47 crore.
iii. The project of construction of 6 MLD STP, I&D and other works in Hapur was also approved to stop the flow of Hapur city drain into River Kali, which is a tributary of River Ganga.
Two Projects in Bihar:
i.To set-up Two STPs (5 and 7 MLDs) at an estimated cost of Rs. 74.64 crore for tapping of Pipra ghat drain and Chhatiya ghat drain respectively along with I&D works for Raxaul town in Bihar was also approved.
- This project will reduce pollution in the Sirsiya River, which originates in Nepal and enters Bihar at Raxaul in the East Champaran district.
Urban River Management Plans (URMP)
i.A project worth Rs 20 crore has also been sanctioned for the preparation of 60-70 Urban River Management Plans (URMPs) in two phases for optimal water management in urban areas.
- During the first year, 25 URMPs shall be prepared and 35 URMPs shall be prepared during the second year.
- This project is part of the River-Cities Alliance (RCA) under Namami Gange, which provides cities opportunities to cooperate, work together, learn from each other’s best practices, share knowledge, thus paving the way for Gyan Bhagidari, which will lead to transformational solutions.
- RCA presently has more than 140 members, including foreign cities, an increase from 30 members in 2021.
M.Sc. in Freshwater Ecology and Conservation
i.A Project to start the M.Sc. Course in Freshwater Ecology and Conservation at the Ganga Aqualife Conservation Monitoring Centre, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, at a cost of Rs. 6.86 crore for ten years was approved by NMCG.
- The concept seeks to educate a cadre of ecologists and field biologists with competence in freshwater ecology in order to successfully manage India’s freshwater resources and biodiversity.
Electric crematorium in West Bengal:
It also approved a project to construct an electric crematorium at Barkola, Kharagpur in West Bengal.
About National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG):
Director General(DG) – G Asok Kumar
Established – 2011
