The 46th meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Mission for Clean Ganges (NMCG) was held under the chairmanship of Shri G. Asok Kumar, Director General of NMCG on 23 December 2022. Of the approved projects, 12 relate to the development of sewerage infrastructure in the Czech Republic. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, worth more than Rs. 2700 crores.
Afforestation programs for 2022-23 for Uttarakhand and Bihar were also approved at an estimated cost of Rs. 42.80 crore which aims to create an enabling environment for climate resilient and sustainable ecosystem management with a community participation approach.
In West Bengal, a major project to rejuvenate the Adi Ganga River, a tributary of the Ganges, in Kolkata has been approved at an estimated cost of Rs. 653.67 crore, which includes the construction of 3 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) of 10 million liters per day (MLD), 11.60 MLD and 3.5 MLD capacity respectively.
A total of 3 projects have been approved in Uttar Pradesh, one of which is for the development of sewerage infrastructure in Prayagrajcosting Rs. 475.19 million crowns. The Prayagraj project envisages construction of 90 MLD STP along with 20 KLD faecal sludge co-treatment plant and 90 MLD effluent plant, interception and diversion works etc.
Two other projects approved in Uttar Pradesh include construction of 50 MLD STP, I&D work etc at an estimated cost of Rs. . 264.67 million in Loniapurva, Lucknow for Gomti river and 24 MLD STP, I&D work etc. in Hathras city for Sengar and Karwancosting Rs. 128.91 million crowns.
In Bihar, one project each for Daudnagar and Motihari cities has been approved at an estimated cost of Rs. 42.25 and 149.15 million respectively. Construction of 10.50 MLD STP along with I&D works is envisaged for Daudnagar and 4 STPs with capacity of 4.6, 6.3, 5.8, 6.3 MLD and I&D works etc. for Motihari have also been approved in Bihar 4 cost increase projects.
A major project in Jharkhand was approved in the 46th EC meeting. The project includes construction of 5 STPs with a total capacity of 192 MLD (18+21+75+60+18), interception and diversion and other works at an estimated cost of Rs. 808.33 crore in Dhanbad city.
This project is aimed at reducing pollution in the Damodar River, an important tributary of the Ganges River, and aims to pump out all sewage falling into the Damodar from the city, which indirectly pollutes the Ganges River. With the approval of this project, all the projects required to reduce the pollution of the Damodar River in Jharkhand have been approved.
Another project titled “Scientific survey of floral diversity near the banks of river Ganga for ethnobotanical purposes along with its conservation and economic development of the region through skill development programmes” has been approved by the EC for all the five states. The project will be implemented in collaboration with Patanjali Research Institute (PRI) and Patanjali Organic Research Institute (PORI), Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
The projects have three components including Plant Biodiversity Survey: Floral Diversity, Ethnobotanical, Medicinal Aspect and their Phytochemical Profiling for Commercial Valuation, Training and Skill Development: Stakeholders like Farmers, Traditional Healers etc. and Advanced Scientific Research and Experiments: Soil Quality and water; their effect on floral phytochemicals; interaction of soil microbes and their effect, varieties of medicinal plants and exploration of medicinal properties etc.
Shri Himansu Badoni, Executive Director (Projects), NMCG, Shri D.P. Mathuria, Executive Director (Finance), NMCG, Shri S.P. Vashishtha, Executive Director, (Administrator), NMCG, Shri Bhaskar Dasgupta, Executive Director (Finance), NMCG, Ms. Richa Misra, Joint Secretary and Financial Adviser, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, State Representatives and senior NMCG officials were also present during the meeting.
