(a) whether the Government is aware that the drains carrying waste water/ materials of cities are being thrown in various rivers like Ganga and Yamuna in the country;
(b) if so, the details of works being undertaken to check it; and
(c) the reasons for not achieving the adequate results in cleanliness on the banks of rivers despite allocation of huge funds in the name of river development?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION & HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
(DR. SATYA PAL SINGH)
(a) Many of the natural and storm water drains merging into river Ganga and Yamuna have been converted into sewage drains due to inadequate sewerage infrastructure and poor Operation & Maintenance (O&M) of existing facilities. The sewage management is primarily the responsibility of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and State Governments. Due to limited resources of ULBs / State Governments, efforts undertaken by them are insufficient to control the entry of sewage into these natural drains; therefore the Government of India is supplementing the efforts of the state governments in addressing the pollution of river Ganga by providing financial assistance to the states.
(b) To control the direct discharge of untreated sewage in natural drains and rivers, projects of interception and diversion (I&D), sewerage networks and Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) are being taken up. Till date, 105 projects have been sanctioned for development of sewerage infrastructure to provide a total treatment capacity of 3293.68 Million Litres per Day (MLD) (including rehabilitation of 887.00 MLD) and laying of sewerage network of 4842.30 km. at an estimated cost of Rs, 17,485.11 crore. Out of these, 26 projects have been completed which has created new STP capacity of 328.13 MLD and rehabilitated 92 MLD of STP capacity. In addition, 44 projects are at advanced stages of completion to create new STP capacity of 769 MLD and rehabilitation of 86 MLD capacity.
(c) The cleanliness of river banks/ ghats is also the responsibility of ULBs and due to large number of pilgrims, tourists and locals visiting the Ganga banks / ghats, it’s challenging to keep these banks clean continuously. To supplement the efforts of ULBs, this ministry has provided financial support to ULBs to clean the ghats of Varanasi, Haridwar, Bithoor, Kanpur, Allhabad and Mathura- Vrindavan. A total expenditure of Rs. 6.4 crore has been incurred till date on these projects.
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