Question

WRITE ABOUT GANGA ACTION PLAN.(MIN 1 PAGE)

Answer 1

The Ganga Action Plan was, launched on 14 Jan. 1986 by the then Prime Minister of India Shri Rajeev Gandhi, with the main objective of pollution abatement of the river Ganga, to improve the water quality by interception, diversion and treatment of domestic sewage, and to identify grossly polluting units to prevent their toxic and industrial chemical wastes from entering the river. The ultimate objective of the GAP is to have an approach of integrated river basin management considering the various dynamic inter-actions between abiotic and biotic eco-systems.
The other objectives of the Indian Government's Ganga Action Plan are summarised as :-
Research and Development to conserve the biotic, diversity of the river to augment its productivity.
Rehabilitation of soft-shelled turtles for pollution abatement of river have been demonstrated and found useful.
New technology of sewage treatment like Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) and sewage treatment through afforestation has been successfully developed.
Control of non-point pollution from agricultural run off, human defecation, cattle wallowing and throwing of unburnt and half burnt bodies into the river.
Resource recovery options like production of methane for energy generation and use of aquaculture for revenue generation have been demonstrated. Notwithstanding some delay in the completion of the first phase of GAP as a result of legal petitions and allegations of corruption, GAP has generated considerable interest and set the scene for evolving a national approach towards replicating this program for the other polluted rivers of the country.