Clean Ganga Project

Namami Gange - Saving the Ganga

The Clean Ganga project is officially known as the Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission project or 'Namami Gange'. This is basically a dream project of Prime Minster Narendra Modi. Before he became the PM of India, Modi had been a staunch advocate of cleaning up the river Ganga. He promised that if he were voted to power he would start the project right away.

True to his word, he got the said project started within a few months of becoming the new PM. This project has already paid dividends to him. This was evident during his recent visit to the US where the Clinton family congratulated him on the project. The project has been in the news of late for the way RSS, the parent party of BJP, has decided to monitor it and also because of the various investment plans - with tax benefits - that the government is announcing with regard to this project.

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Why Clean Ganga Project started

When the Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission project called "Namami Gange" was launched with an initial sum of Rs. 2,037 crore allocated in the Union Budget 2014-15,
but till date nothing much has come of it. This is the official reason that the project has been started. However, other than that one needs to take into consideration the overall poor condition of the river thanks to the huge amounts of untreated sewage and industrial effluents that have been pumped into the river over the years by the various industrial units located alongside it.

When it will be completed

A few days back, the Supreme Court had asked the Indian Government when the Clean Ganga project be completed. In its reply to the apex judicial body of the country, the national administration had answered that the process shall take at least 18 years to be completed. This is not an unusual target considering the length and breadth of the river in question - it almost covers almost the entire part of northern India and stretches from Uttarakhand in northwest to West Bengal in eastern India.

Area covered in the project

There are five states in India that fall in the course of river Ganga - Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar. Besides, it touches parts of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, and Delhi through its tributaries. Thus it is conceivable that the Clean Ganga project shall be taking into consideration the aforementioned areas. Recently when the Supreme Court had quizzed the central government on completion of the project it had stated that the assistance of the state governments of the 5 states will be necessary in executing the said project. The Indian Government has also stated that it is for these state governments to generate awareness among the common people as far as keeping the river clean is concerned.

Implementation of the project

The Namami Gange project will be implemented in several stages. While the exact details are not known yet, one understands that it will involve activities such as cleaning up the tributaries to start with. The authorities will also be supposed to manage the cities through which the river is flowing so that the industrial units in these cities do not dump their effluents and wastes over there. Development of tourism will also be an important part of this project because it shall help meet the expenses towards the upkeep of the project. The authorities may also look to develop a channel that runs from Allahabad till Haldia in West Bengal that shall help in navigation.

Major issues for the project

To start with, the major problem for the Namami Gange project is going to be the sheer size of In addition to that, the immense levels of pollution in the river thanks to years of unabated dumping of industrial sewage and waste as well as garbage by common people have left the river in a pitiful state.

Controversy surrounding the project

One of the major controversies surrounding the Clean Ganga project has been the difference of opinion among the members of the panel that has been constituted for ruuning it. The committee had been set up during July 2014 with secretaries from various departments. One of the major issues surrounding the project has been getting back flood-land for the gradually increasing population of these areas. There is also difference of opinion regarding importance of inland waterways.

Clean Ganga Project Facts

Project Cost	Rs 2037 crore
The Ministry involved in Project Ganga	The Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation
Purpose of project	Cleaning up of River Ganga
Project Start Date	July 2014
Estimated Project Duration	18 years