Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase-I was launched in 1985 to improve the water quality of river Ganga. Later, GAP Phase-II was initiated in 1993. Various pollution abatement schemes including interception & diversion of sewage and setting up of sewage treatment plants were taken up under the Plan. This was stated by Shrimati Jayanthi Natarajan Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.
The Minister further stated that As reported by Central Pollution Control Board, nearly 2723 million litres per day (mld) of sewage is generated from Class I cities and Class II towns along river Ganga. Under the GAP, a sewage treatment capacity of 1092 mld (GAP-I: 869 mld, GAP-II: 223 mld) has been created. The total expenditure incurred so far, on conservation of river Ganga is Rs.950.32 crore.
The Minister further stated that A National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) was constituted in February 2009, as an empowered, planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating authority with the objective to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga by adopting a holistic river basin approach. The river conservation strategy was reviewed in the first meeting of the NGRBA held on 5th October 2009 which resolved that under ‘Mission Clean Ganga’, no untreated municipal sewage and industrial effluent may flow into Ganga by the year 2020. Under NGRBA, 53 projects amounting to nearly Rs.2600 crore have been sanctioned for pollution abatement schemes in the States of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. An expenditure of Rs.583.28 crore has been incurred till March 2013, and 8 projects have been completed so far. Besides Central funds, a World Bank assistance of Rs.7000 crore has been approved for a period of 8 years for conservation of river Ganga, the Minister added.