In order to curb the flow of sewage water in the river Ganga, the center has drafted a mega plan to clean up the river. Reportedly, sewage treatment plants will be installed in the river in 10 major cities. These places include Haridwar, Kanpur, Varanasi, Patna, and Kolkata which contribute around 65% of the total pollution.
The ministry had identified 97 towns which are a major source of sewage pollution and plants are being installed at all these locations, which are currently at different stages of implementation. Currently, only 1,580 million liters of sewage is treated per day while the rest flows into the river untreated.
The Ministry of River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has found out that around 3,000 million liters of sewer water goes into the river every day. The installation of sewage treatment plants would be 100% effective and would be a major step towards cleaning the river.
On the instructions of water resources minister Nitin Gadkari, the project has been put on the fast track. As per the officials, the plants would take 3 years to be fully functional. The project was sanctioned under the Namami Gange Programme to keep the 2,525 km long river free from sewage water. The river Ganga is the source of water for 43% of India’s population.
As per the government officials, apart from the sewage treatment, the water resources ministry is also planning to monetize sewage water by selling the treated water to industries, railways, and power plants. A similar mechanism has been adopted by Nagpur Municipal Corporation. It sells treated sewage water to thermal power stations and earns INR 18 Crores as revenue.
