Rivers in the country are polluted mainly due to discharge of untreated and partially treated sewage from cities/towns and industrial effluents. Non-point sources of pollution like agricultural runoff, open defecation, runoff from solid waste dump sites, etc. also contribute to pollution of rivers. Cleaning of river is a continuous process and Government of India is supplementing the efforts of the State Governments in addressing the challenges of pollution of rivers by providing financial and technical assistance. Assistance is provided to State Governments for abatement of pollution in identified stretches of various rivers (excluding river Ganga and its tributaries) under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) on cost sharing basis between the Central & State Governments for taking up various pollution abatement works relating to interception & diversion of raw sewage, construction of sewerage systems, setting up of sewage treatment plants, low cost sanitation, river front/bathing ghat development, public participation & awareness programme, etc.
Under the Namami Gange Programme launched in May, 2015, diverse set of coordinated activities meant for cleaning of river Ganga and its tributaries have been taken up. These include treatment of municipal sewage, treatment of industrial effluents, drain bio-remediation, river surface cleaning, rural sanitation, river front development, ghats and crematoria development, afforestation & biodiversity conservation, public outreach programme etc.
State Governments, apart from their own budgetary allocation, are also accessing financial assistance for creation of sewerage infrastructure, including Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), in various cities/towns under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities Mission of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
Further, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) monitor industries with respect to effluent discharge standards and take action for non-compliance under provisions of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
State/ Union Territory-wise details of the projects launched by the Government under NRCP during the last three years are as under:
State/ UT | Name of the Project/ river | Sanctioned cost (Rs. in crore) | Sanction Date | Funds Released by Central Govt. (Rs. in crore) | Expenditure incurred by the State Govt. (incl. State Share) (Rs. in crore) |
Jammu & Kashmir | Pollution abatement of river Devika and Tawi at Udhampur | 186.74 | Sept,2018 | 30.00 | 13.00 |
Gujarat | Pollution abatement of river Tapi at Surat, Gujarat | 971.25 | March, 2019 | 13.00 | --
|
Sikkim | Pollution abatement of river Rani Chu in Zone-III, Gangtok | 94.66 | July, 2018 | 27.00 | 17.00 |
Manipur | Pollution abatement of river Nambul at Imphal, Manipur | 97.72 | Jan, 2019 | 18.00 | 3.30 |
Rejuvenation of river Ganga and its tributaries has been taken up under the Namami Gange programme. Under this programme, projects amounting to Rs.28,790.66 crore have ben sanctioned, funds released by Government of India to National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) are Rs.8,917.02 crore, out of which Rs.8,342.14 crore have been utilized so far.
Public participation is a very important component of river conservation/rejuvenation programme. Under National River Conservation Plan and Namami Gange programme; financial assistance is provided to the participating States for undertaking various conservation/rejuvenation activities including education and awareness among the local people, students and stakeholders about the value, functions and ecological services of rivers through awareness campaign/publication, pamphlets, video films, Yatras, slogan/drawing/essay competitions, etc. Under the Namami Gange programme, Rs.100.00 crore has been allocated for awareness creation.
This information was given by the Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Rattan Lal Kataria in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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