The First River Action Plan i.e. the Ganga Action Plan
was taken up by the Ministry of Environment & Forests in 1985. Since then its scope has increased to all the
major rivers of the country and the programme was further extended to other
major rivers of the country in 1995 under the National River Conservation
Plan - NRCP.
Presently, the Centrally sponsored scheme of National
River Conservation Plan - NRCP is under implementation in 160 towns along
polluted stretches of 34 rivers spread over 20 States at an approved cost
of Rs.4736 crore. The major rivers
being Ganga, Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar, Satluj, Krishna, Cauveri, Godavari etc.
among others. The objective of NRCP
is to check pollution in rivers through implementation of the following pollution
abatement schemes to bring the river to bathing quality standards :
Interception
and diversion works to capture the raw sewage flowing into the river through
open drains and divert them for treatment;
Sewage treatment
plants for treating the diverted sewage;
Low cost
sanitation works to prevent open defecation on river banks;
Electric
and/or improved wood crematoria to conserve the use of wood and help in ensuring
proper cremation of bodies brought to the burning ghat;
River front development works such as improvement of bathing ghats, etc.
and
Other miscellaneous
works like Afforestation, Public Participation etc.
All these works are done on the banks of rivers in the major
towns and cities along identified polluted stretches of rivers across the
country. Development and maintenance
of a proper sewerage system in towns and cities is primarily the responsibility
of the respective State Governments and Urban Local Bodies. The prevention and control of industrial pollution
is being taken care of by the Pollution Control Boards.
POLLUTION ABATEMENT IN RIVERS
The works of started with the launching
of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase-I in the year 1985. Subsequently, GAP Phase-II was initiated which included the works on the
major tributaries of the river Ganga, namely, Yamuna, Gomti and Damodar. The
Plan was further broad based to cover other national rivers under the aegis
of National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) in the year 1995. The programme which began with pollution abatement
works in the river Ganga in 1985,
thus, presently covers 34 rivers with works undertaken in 160 towns spread
in 20 States.
Ganga Action Plan Phase I (GAP I) was the first attempt of Government
to clean the river Ganga. The plan
was formulated on the basis of a comprehensive survey of the Ganga basin carried
out by the CPCB in 1984. According
to the CPCB survey, the total sewage generated from 25 Class I towns in 1985
was estimated as 1340 million litres per day (mld). Out of this, due to resource crunch, pollution abatement works corresponding
to 882 mld only (65% at that time) were taken up under GAP Phase I.
To accomplish this task, a total of 261 projects of pollution abatement
covering these 25 towns in three States were sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 462
crore.. Of these, 259 projects have
been completed and the remaining two projects of sewage treatment plants in
Bihar (STPs at Patna & Munger) are in the final stage of completion.
These projects have been delayed due to litigation and the State Government
has been asked to complete the same at the earliest.
The GAP I was declared closed in 31st March, 2000. The completion cost of GAP Phase I including
the cost of these two works is Rs.452 crore out of which an expenditure of
Rs.433 crores has been incurred by the State Governments. Under this plan, a sewage treatment capacity
of 865 mld has been created.
ACHIEVEMENTS OF GAP - I
As a consequence of completion of works under GAP I,
the Ganga river water quality has shown improvement over the pre-GAP period
water quality due to the schemes completed under GAP I. The summer average values (March to June) for
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) for 1986 and 2005
are as under:-
WATER
QUALITY DATA FOR RIVER GANGA
(Summer
Average i.e. March-June)
|
S.No.
|
Station/Location
|
1986
|
2005
|
|
|
|
DO
(mg/l)
|
BOD(mg/l)
|
DO(mg/l)
|
BOD(mg/l)
|
|
1.
|
Rishikesh
|
8.1
|
1.7
|
8.50
|
1.00
|
|
2.
|
Hardwar D/s
|
8.1
|
1.8
|
8.10
|
1.40
|
|
3.
|
Garhmukteshwar
|
7.8
|
2.2
|
7.80
|
2.00
|
|
4.
|
Kannauj U/S
|
7.2
|
5.5
|
8.50
|
1.70
|
|
5.
|
Kannauj D/S
|
NA
|
NA
|
7.60
|
4.50
|
|
6.
|
Kanpur U/S
|
7.2
|
7.2
|
6.20
|
4.30
|
|
7.
|
Kanpur D/S
|
6.7
|
8.6
|
4.70
|
5.40
|
|
8.
|
Allahabad U/S *
|
6.4
|
11.4
|
8.50
|
5.50
|
|
9.
|
Allahabad D/S *
|
6.6
|
15.5
|
8.40
|
3.10
|
|
10.
|
Varanasi U/S *
|
5.6
|
10.1
|
8.60
|
2.00
|
|
11.
|
Varanasi D/S *
|
5.9
|
10.6
|
8.30
|
2.30
|
|
12.
|
Patna U/S
|
8.4
|
2.0
|
7.44
|
2.00
|
|
13.
|
Patna D/S
|
8.1
|
2.2
|
8.00
|
2.20
|
|
14.
|
Rajmahal
|
7.8
|
1.8
|
7.40
|
1.80
|
|
15.
|
Palta
|
NA
|
NA
|
7.00
|
3.10
|
|
16.
|
Uluberia
|
NA
|
NA
|
5.40
|
2.60
|
Bathing Water Quality Criteria: DO equal to or more than 5.0
mg/l
BOD equal to or
less than 3.0 mg/l
*--->Summer averages (March '05)
In this connection,
the graphs showing water quality improvement of river Ganga at major locations
since the inception of Ganga Action Plan are given in Annexure-I (graphs
available on the PIB website alongwith the press release.) The graphs shown are for the BOD values showing
the change between the period 1986 to 2005. The water quality monitoring has been done by independent reputed
institutes like Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Bharat Heavy Electricals
Ltd. (BHEL), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, Indian Toxicological Research Centre (ITRC),
Lucknow, etc. It may be observed that
inspite of a phenomenal increase in population in the urban centers located
upstream on the river Ganga, there is a clear improvement in terms of BOD
of the river during this period at Kannauj, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi &
Patna. At Kanpur the values although
decreasing are yet to achieve the desired standards because of the untackled
pollution load remaining there.
Cost Benefit Analysis Of Ganga Action Plan Phase-I.
On the direction of the Planning Commission
of India, a Cost Benefit Analysis of GAP Phase-I was carried out by
Harvard Institute of International Development in 1995-97, in collaboration
with reputed national institutes. The main findings of the study given in
the year 2000 are as under :-
·
The broad conclusion of the study is that in spite of its many
shortcomings, the GAP I has delivered significant benefits to India. The water
quality model of the river Ganga was used to estimate the Ganga river quality
during 1995 and beyond, both with and without the Ganga Action Plan Phase I.
The model showed that in 1995, a total stretch of river of about 437
km between Rishikesh,UP and Rajmahal,Bihar still has biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD) levels above the permissible limit of 3.0 mg/l. The problem stretch mainly lies between Kannauj and Varanasi.
However, without GAP this stretch would have been about 740 km and
more than 100 km would have exceeded 10 mg/l.
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) levels would have been below 5.0 mg/l for a short
stretch near Kanpur. Hence, it can be seen that GAP I has made a
significant difference to water quality.
·
Both users and non-users have benefited & the result is
that the real rate of return on Phase-I is well above the 10% required of
public sector projects.
·
It would be unreasonable for a developing country like India
to expect to achieve in 10-15 years what it has taken countries with many
more resources over 30 years to achieve particularly for much smaller rivers
than Ganga. Second, the costs involved in other river cleaning-up programmes
have been enormous, and given the similar type of objectives with relatively
larger scale operations, the cost earmarked for the GAP is much smaller. Thus,
in terms of both the cost and time taken, GAP compares favourably with those
of the other major rivers of the world like Thames, Rhine and Danube. A comparative statement is given below :-
|
PARAMETERS
|
THAMES
|
RHINE
|
DANUBE
|
GANGA
|
|
Length (in Km)
|
245
|
1320
|
2857
|
2525
|
|
Population (in million)
|
-
|
50
|
86
|
500
|
|
Restoration Time (in years)
|
30
|
50
|
13+
|
13+
|
|
Restoration Cost (in Rs. Billion)
|
5.0
|
1940.0
|
125.0
|
11.2
|
Ganga
Action Plan Phase II
Since GAP Phase I did not cover the pollution load of
Ganga fully, GAP Phase II, which includes plans for Yamuna, Gomti and Damodar
besides Ganga, was approved in stages between 1993 and 1996. The present approved cost of Ganga river under
GAP Phase II is Rs.652.89 crore against which an amount of Rs. 240.72 crore
has been released to implementing agencies. Out of a total of 268 sanctioned schemes, 79 schemes have been completed
so far and the balance schemes are in progress. This plan is being implemented in 60 towns
covering five States and 780 mld of pollution load is proposed to be tackled
under this plan out of which a sewage treatment capacity of about 26 mld.
has already been created.
Pollution
load in river Ganga
As per the current estimates and study done by CPCB,
2538 mld of sewage is discharged to the Ganga river from various Class I &
Class II towns located along its banks. Out
of this, a treatment capacity of 865 mld. has already been created under GAP
I and 780 mld capacity is to be created under GAP II. Due to shortage of funds, schemes for creation
of the balance capacity of sewage treatment which constitutes about 35% of
the total requirement is yet to be created.
Meanwhile, as the availability of funds
in the X Plan was inadequate even to complete the existing approved schemes
under NRCP which does not cover the untackled pollution load in river Ganga
as mentioned in 2.1.5 above, technical assistance was sought from Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA) to prepare Master Plan for major towns falling in
river Ganga. The details of the same
are as under.
Technical
Assistance from outside agencies
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has provided
technical assistance for the Development Study relating to “Water Quality
Management Plan for Ganga” with focus along stretches of four towns namely,
Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad and Varanasi.
The JICA Study Team/Consultants selected by JICA for carrying out the
study started their work from March, 2003 and completed it in August/September,
2005. The study basically envisaged
formulation of the Master Plans and Feasibility Studies for the sewerage (including
sewage treatment) and non-sewerage components for the four towns.
These Master Plans and Feasibility Studies have been prepared by the
JICA Study Team in close collaboration and consultation with UP Government
and its concerned agencies in the four towns as well as taking into account
the work already done and presently being done in these towns under NRCP.
The JICA
Study Team had submitted the Master Plan and Feasibility studies report for
the sewerage and non-sewerage works in Varanasi town in the first phase during
2004-05 based upon which the JBIC have signed an agreement with the Government
of India for providing loan for taking up the pollution abatement schemes
of the river Ganga in this town at an estimated cost of Rs.540 crore (13.248 billion Yen). The final Feasibility Study Reports for the remaining three towns of Allahabad,
Kanpur & Lucknow, after incorporating the comments of the concerned organizations,
have been received from JICA. The
estimated cost of GAP-II projects in the three towns is Rs.1100 crore (Allahabad-Rs.305
crore, Kanpur-Rs.425 crore & Lucknow-Rs.375 crore).
The project proposals for these three towns are included in the JBIC
Rolling Plan package for financial year 2006-07.
Click here for
graph
(Release ID :18777)