Is the Namami ganga project successful? Examine various issues raised in cleaning Ganga river. What measures should be taken to overcome these issues and make the project successful?
Namami ganga project is an Integrated Conservation Mission for river Ganga, approved as a ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in 2014. It is being implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by adopting a river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral coordination for comprehensive planning and management and to maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development
The namami ganga project is not fully successful as
- National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has so far managed to spend just 29% of the sanctioned budget to complete 37% of the projects.
- A bulk of the projects sanctioned, 152, pertain to putting in place sewage infrastructure, like sewage treatment plants (STPs) — one of the most crucial components to keep the river clean.
Of these 152 STPs, only 46 have been completed as of January, 2020.
Issues raised in cleaning Ganga river
- Sewage treatment is inadequate
- Lack of coordination between the agencies responsible for carrying out different tasks.
- Ecological flow has been decreasing (E-flow or Environmental Flow refers to the minimum flow of water considered necessary for protecting the structure and function of an ecosystem and its dependent species)
- Decreased E-flow results in groundwater depletion as groundwater extraction increases.
- less utilization of funds under NMCG resulting in the amount lying in banks due to non-finalisation of action plans.
- Inadequate management of the sludge faecal resulting in invariable pollution of ganga.
Measures to overcome these issues
- Organic agriculture should be cultivated along the riverbed.
- Reuse treated wastewater for irrigation and empty into natural drains.
- Many of the strategies need to integrate long-term ecological and sustainability goals.
- local storages like ponds, lakes have to be created to prevent floods and drought situations
- smaller tributaries have to be restored near gang basin
For successful implementation of the project the issues under it have to be overcome with adequate measures.