list some measure taken up by the government and NGOs to clean river in India
Answers
Namami Gange Programme
Prime Minister Narendra Modi realising the need for action at the earliest to rescue a river that has nurtured us through time immemorial affirmed to work in cleaning the river and controlling pollution and announced the Namami Ganga project in the July 2014 budget. The ‘Namami Gange Programme’, is an Integrated Conservation Mission. It was approved by the Union Government in June 2014, as a ‘Flagship Programme’ with a budget outlay of Rs.20,000 crore. The aim of the project is to clean the Ganga and its tributaries in a comprehensive manner. The objectives of the programme included effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga by adopting the following steps:
Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure
River-Front Development
River-Surface Cleaning
Bio-Diversity
Afforestation
Public Awareness
Industrial Effluent Monitoring
Ganga Gram
Details of the approved projects
Bihar has got three major sewage infrastructure projects in Barh, Kankarbagh and Digha. The estimated cost of this project is Rs 1,461 crore, which would create additional sewage treatment capacity in Kankarbagh and Barh.
Three projects have been approved in West Bengal including two pertaining to sewage infrastructure and the third for river front development. The estimated cost for the said project is Rs 495.47 crore. The Ganga in Howrah as well as Tolly’s Nullah (popularly known as Adi Ganga), a tributary of Ganga in Kolkata will be treated for pollution abatement and rehabilitation work at a total estimated cost of Rs 492.34 crore.
The Boral Ferry and the Boral Bathing Ghats in Nabadwip town of West Bengal will also be renovated at an estimated cost of 3.13 crore INR. The renovation will include river bank protection work, construction of waiting rooms and stairs, and seating arrangements.
In Uttar Pradesh a sewage infrastructure project has been approved at an estimated cost of 27.98 crore INR in Chunar in the Mirzapur district.
Ganga Monitoring Centres, to check the pollution levels and monitor the cleanliness of the river, will be established in 5 Ganga states at an estimated cost of 46.69 Crore INR.
Two pilot projects for treatment of drains using bioremediation method have also been approved for Danapur drain in Patna and Nehru Drain in Allahabad at an estimated cost of 1.63 crore INR.
I think two major steps taken and well implemented are control of industrial pollution and ODF. CPCB to get credit for industrial pollution control by using a strict approach, ordering closures of various units, and issuing show cause notices now and then to non complying units. Well, today, hardly any industry left, which can even think of bypassing ETP, or remain negligent towards environment, still, mills are getting show cause and closure orders even for the minute deviations (like BOD exceeding to 31 against the norm of 30, yes, they issue show cause even in such cases.).
For ODF, toilets have been made (and are being made) in most of the villages, and soon, we all would start observing positive outcomes.
What major is left, are (1) Municipal solid waste and sewage control, on which very little has been done, while it is a major source of pollution; and (2) excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides by the farmers, the residue of which pollute the whole environment. I am sure, government must be planning something on these issues also.