Final plan for cleaning Ganga to be brought out in 3 years, says Uma Bharti
The Indian Government is busy coming up with short-term as well as long-term plans as far as the Clean Ganga Project is concerned. Meanwhile Uma Bharti, the Union Water Resources Minister, has stated that it may take the national administration 3 years to come up with the final plan for cleaning the river that covers almost the entire stretch of North India.
While making the aforementioned comments at a seminar on the issue of ‘Cleaning of India’s Rivers – Design of Participatory Approaches’ the minister also mentioned that medium-term plans are being drawn up for the purpose. She has stated that the primary purpose as of now is to ensure a proper and steady flow of water into the river.
The union minister has stated that she realized the importance of unabated stream of water following her discussions with the different stakeholders of the project. She has reasoned that pollution can only be fought properly if the river has a steady flow of water. Bharti has pointed out that the knowledge of irrigation using less water would come in handy in such circumstances as it would enable Ganges to experience a steady stream of water.
Top body for Clean Ganga Project hampered by vacancies
The cleaning up and overall revival of River Ganga is supposed to be a dream project of the Indian Prime Minister. The National Ganga River Basin Authority or NGRBA is the leading body that has been given the responsibility of pulling this off. However, the body is yet to get up and start running, so to speak, owing to a number of crucial posts that are yet to be filled. The number of posts yet to be filled has been estimated to be at least 17.
Government summons meeting for cleaning Ganga
One of the major sources of pollution of River Ganga has been the unabated dumping of waste and untreated sewage by the various industrial units that are located along the river. This is the reason that the Indian Government had opted to call a meeting that will feature representatives from these industries as well as dignitaries that can be regarded as experts in the domain. The main aim of this meeting was to find ways so that the pollution can be brought to an end once and for all. The meeting had taken place at New Delhi on October 6.
Hydel projects associated with Clean Ganga initiative
The national government is planning to establish ties between its Clean Ganga Project and the various hydroelectric projects (HEPs). For this purpose it has also come up with a fresh group of rules that are supposed to be obeyed by the entities that want to invest in the sector. If they are able to comply with these rules then they would be provided the environmental permits necessary to start their projects. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has submitted an affidavit at the Supreme Court stating that it does not wish the Ganga project to be harmed in any way by the clearances for HEPs.
