(a) whether any awareness campaigns were conducted to study effects of pollution in rivers, dying marine ecosystem and degradation of environment in urban areas;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the measures being taken for reducing water pollution of rivers in urban areas?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)
(a) to (b) The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is implementing Environment Education, Awareness and Training scheme with the objective to promote environmental awareness among all sections of the society and to mobilize people’s participation for conservation of environment. Under the National Green Corps (NGC) programme of the Ministry, about one lakh schools have been identified as Eco-clubs, wherein nearly thirty lakh students are actively participating in various environment protection and conservation activities, including the issues related to environment management, river water, marin water pollution aspects.
The Ministry has launched the Green Good Deed (GGDs) movement in January 2018 which is social movement with the aim of bringing about mass environmental awareness in the society at all levels.
Further, the Ministry has also been involved in promoting environment education to all sections of the society through various awareness programmes. Various outreach activities, theme-based exhibition galleries, etc. organized from time to time by the National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi and its four Regional Museums, located in Mysuru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar and Sawai-Madhopur”.
(c) It is the responsibility of State Governments/concerned local bodies to ensure proper treatment and disposal of sewage generated so that the untreated sewage is not discharged in rivers and other water bodies, thereby polluting them. The Ministry has been supplementing the efforts of the State Governments in abatement of pollution in identified stretches of various rivers 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, etc. Implementation of NRCP works has led to reduction in pollution load draining into rivers as well as improving the environmental & sanitation conditions in the towns in which the programme have been implemented.
NRCP {excluding Ganga and its tributaries, which are handled by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD&GR) from 01/08/2014 onwards} has so far covered polluted stretches of 34 rivers in 77 towns spread over 16 States in the country at a sanctioned cost of Rs. 5870.54 crore, and Central share of Rs. 2378.73 crore has been released to the State Governments for implementation of various pollution abatement schemes. Sewage treatment capacity of 2522.03 mld (million litres per day) has been created so far under the NRCP.
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 as well as Namami Gange programme of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (MoWR,RD&GR).
To ensure proper treatment of municipal wastewater before discharge into the rivers, CPCB has issued directions under Section 18 1(b) of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 in April, 2015 to all the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) in the country for setting up of STPs in their respective States. CPCB has also issued directions in October, 2015 to municipal authorities of 66 metropolitan cities and State capitals under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to ensure proper treatment and disposal of sewage generated for abatement of pollution of rivers.
Further, to control discharge of industrial effluents, CPCB and respective SPCBs/PCCs monitor industries with respect to effluent discharge standards and take action for non-compliance under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. To improve the monitoring of compliance, directions have been issued by CPCB to specific industries to install online 24x7 effluent monitoring systems. Steps have also been taken by CPCB to promote low waste concept in grossly water polluting industries, particularly those located on the river banks.
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