Namami Gange Program

The Namami Gange Program, launched in 2014, aims to revitalize the Ganges River. It focuses on sewage treatment, riverfront development, biodiversity, and public awareness. The program operates through national, state, and district committees. Recent initiatives include real-time monitoring platforms and inspections of polluting industries. Challenges faced by the Program include funding issues and infrastructure shortcomings, alongside obstacles in securing state cooperation, combating industrial pollution, and ensuring community involvement. To resolve this, the government has sought private sector involvement in sewage treatment plant construction, implementation of the Seechewal model and introduction of foreign technologies for river surface cleaning.

The Namami Gange Program started in June 2014 to clean up the Ganges River and its tributaries. Initially, it was supposed to end in March 2021 with a budget of Rs. 20,000 crore. Because the work is ongoing and important, the Indian government has extended the program, now called Namami Gange Mission-II, until 2026 with a budget of Rs. 22,500 crore

The Namami Gange Program is run by the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti under the National Clean Ganga Mission. It covers all 11 states along the river basin.

Conservation efforts are directed towards all tributaries of the Ganges. The program focuses on three main components: ‘Aviraldhara’ (uninterrupted flow), – ‘Nirmaldhara’ (clean flow) of Ganga; and – Ensuring ecological and geological integrity.

• Sewage Treatment Infrastructure
• River-Front Development
• River-Surface Cleaning
• Biodiversity
• Afforestation
• Public Awareness
• Industrial Effluent Monitoring
• Ganga Gram

The Program envisages five tier structure at national, state and district level

• National Ganga Council under the chairmanship of Prime Minister of India.
• Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under chairmanship of Union Minister of Jal Shakti
• National Mission for Clean Ganga(NMCG).
• State Ganga Committees and
• District Ganga Committees

Recent Initiatives by the Government Under Namami Gange Programme

• PRAYAG-Platform for Real-time Analysis of Yamuna, Ganga and their Tributaries, an online dashboards was setup on 20th April 2023 for continuous monitoring of river water quality, performance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETPs) and etc. on the Ganga and Yamuna river.
• Annual inspection of Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) operating in main stem of river Ganga & its tributaries is undertaken under Namami Gange Programme since 2017
• Development of river front on Narayani River ( Gandak River) in Gopalganj, Bihar

• Funding Issues: The Comptroller & Auditor General of India had criticised the Bihar government for failing to utilise funds under 'Namami Gange' programme
• Infrastructure shortcomings: Limited sewage treatment plants and outdated technologies hinder effective sewage treatment. Constructing new infrastructure faces obstacles like land acquisition and environmental clearances.
• State cooperation: Cooperation from all states along the Ganges is necessary for successful program implementation due to its multi-state flow.
• Industrial pollution: Industries such as paper mills, tanneries, and chemical factories are major contributors to Ganges pollution.
• Community involvement: Raising awareness and engaging local communities is vital for program success.
• Monitoring and enforcement: Despite monitoring mechanisms, regulatory enforcement remains inadequate. This leads to non-compliance by industries and municipalities.

Steps taken to Address the Issues:

• Private sector involvement: Private companies are now participating in the construction of sewage treatment plants (STPs) in urban areas along the river through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) contracts.
• Implementation of the Seechewal model: This model involves segregating solid and liquid waste and treating wastewater using biological methods like oxidation ponds. The treated water is then utilized for irrigation. The goal is to encourage community involvement and ownership of the river.
• Mandatory installation of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs): Industries are required to install CETPs, adopt new technologies, and ensure zero discharge of liquid waste into the river.
• Introduction of foreign technologies: Various technologies, such as Trash Skimmers, are being imported to clean the surface of the river.

• Public awareness: Launching a public awareness campaign is crucial to educate people about the ecological preservation of the Ganga. This should include initiatives for restoring aquatic life, planting trees, and developing riverfront areas.
• Utilization of technology: Technologies like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) should be employed to gather data and conduct spatial analysis of the Ganga basin.
• Afforestation and flora conservation: Afforestation efforts should be focused on creating a riparian buffer along the river, along with preserving flora biodiversity.
• Capacity building: Urban local bodies need to be equipped with the necessary skills and resources to effectively manage Ganga-related activities.
• Comprehensive legislation: Implementing a comprehensive law dedicated to the Ganga river will provide legal support for all conservation efforts.
• Crematoriums: Building gas or electric crematoriums, particularly in religious centers like Varanasi and Allahabad, will help reduce the river's pollution load.

• In 2016, the central government established two committees with the task of proposing measures for the cleaning of the Ganga river and drafting legislation aimed at its preservation.
  • 1. Giridhar Malviya committee for preparing a draft law.
  • 2. Madhav Chitale committee for preparing guidelines for de-siltation of Ganga between Bhimgoda (Uttarakhand) and Farakka (West Bengal).
• In March 2017, the High Court of Uttarakhand recognized the Ganga and Yamuna rivers as 'living rivers,' granting them legal entity status. This designation allowed for petitions to be filed on behalf of the rivers by any concerned party. However, the Supreme Court later stayed the High Court order
• Recently, under Namami Gange Program, the development of river front on Gandak River in the district of Gopalganj, Bihar has been undertaken and two Ghats have been constructed.

The Namami Gange Program stands as a comprehensive initiative aimed at revitalizing the Ganges River and its tributaries. Despite facing challenges such as funding issues, infrastructure limitations, and industrial pollution, recent initiatives and strategies demonstrate a proactive approach to address these concerns. By leveraging private sector involvement, implementing innovative models like the Seechewal method, and emphasizing public awareness and technological advancements, the program strives towards achieving its goal of ensuring the ecological and geological integrity of the Ganga. Continued efforts and collaborations are essential to overcome existing challenges and realize the long-term sustainability of this vital water resource.