Question : Pollution in Rivers

(a) the criteria/ norms of standard level of water pollution for major rivers of the country set by the Government;
(b) whether the Government has conducted any study to check the water pollution vis-à-vis standard level of pollution of such rivers during each of the last three years and the current year;
(c) if so, the details and outcome thereof, State/UT-wise and if not, the reasons therefore;
(d) whether the Government has received complaints against sugar mills and other operational factories for water pollution in various rivers during the said period;
(e) if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise along with the action taken/being taken on such complaints; and
(f) the other corrective steps taken/ being taken by the Government to keep the pollution level of such rivers within the prescribed norms/ criteria ?

MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a) to (c): The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/ Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) monitors the water quality of rivers across the country through a network of monitoring stations under the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme. The criteria/norms of standard level water pollution for major rivers are generally based on Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)levels, a key indicator of organic pollution. These criteria have been categorized into five priority classes based on BOD concentration (viz. Category I: exceeding to BOD levels >30 mg/l; Category II: BOD between 20&30 mg/l; Category III: BOD between 10&20mg/l; Category IV: BOD between 6-10 mg/l, and Category V: BOD between 3& 6 mg/l).As per the report published by CPCB, in September 2018, the 351 rivers stretches on 323 rivers are identified as polluted river stretches, based on the Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) level. The State-wise details of polluted river stretches are at Annexure.

(d) & (e) As per the information provided by CPCB, the details of the public complaints received against sugar and various industrial sectors for the last three and current year is provided as below;

S. No Category No. of Complaints received during year

2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20**
1. Sugar 15 20 13 08 03
2. Distillery 20 12 09 05 12
3. Pulp & Paper 12 13 10 28 03
4. Textile 9 13 16 26 18
5. Food & Beverages 5 12 06 06 02
** - up to June, 2019

The SPCBs/PCCs are engaged in verification and appropriate action. CPCB has issued directions under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 on the basis of inspections reports.

(f)To ensure proper treatment of municipal sewage 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 SPCBs/Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) in the country, regarding setting up of sewage treatment plants in their respective States. CPCB has also issued directions from time to time to municipal authorities under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for proper treatment and disposal of sewage generated to control pollution in rivers.


To control discharge of industrial effluents, CPCB and respective SPCBs/ PCCs monitor industries with respect to effluents 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 to specific industries to install online 24x7 effluent monitoring devices.

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