It is the responsibility of the States/Union Territories (UTs), Local Bodies and Industrial Units to ensure required treatment of sewage and industrial effluents to the prescribed norms before discharging into rivers and other water bodies, coastal waters or land to prevent and control of pollution therein. For conservation of rivers, the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR) has been supplementing the efforts of the States/UTs by providing financial and technical assistance for abatement of pollution in identified stretches of rivers in the country through the Central Sector Scheme of NamamiGange programme for rivers in Ganga basin, and the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) for other rivers.

NRCP has so far covered polluted stretches on 36 rivers in 80 towns spread over 16 States in the country with the project sanctioned cost of Rs. 6248.16 crore, and inter-alia, a sewage treatment capacity of 2745.7 million liters per day (mld) has been created. Under the NamamiGange programme, a total of 409 projects, including 177 projects for sewage treatment of 5269.87 mld and a sewer network of 5,213 kms, have been sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 32,912.40 crore.

In addition, sewerage infrastructure is created under programs like Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities Mission of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.

As per the latest report published by CPCB in November, 2022, 106 out of 351 polluted river stretches (PRS) published in 2018 have been delisted while improvement in 74 PRS has been observed.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Bishweswar Tudu in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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AS

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