Six Mega Projects in Uttarakhand: Namami Gange Mission

• 29 Sep 2020

Why in News

The Prime Minister has inaugurated six mega projects in Uttarakhand under the Namami Gange Mission.

Key Points

• Highlights: These six mega projects of Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) are constructed at Haridwar, Rishikesh, Muni ki Reti, Chorpani, and Badrinath.
  
  • Jagjeetpur, Haridwar project also marks the completion of the first sewage project taken up on hybrid annuity mode on public private partnership.
    
    • Hybrid Annuity Model: The Government would provide upfront around 40% of the project cost to the developer to start the work and the remaining 60% would be borne by the private party.
  • In Muni ki Reti town, Chandreshwar Nagar STP is the first 4 storied Sewage Treatment Plant in the country where the limitation of land availability was converted into an opportunity.
• Significance:
  
  • All 30 STP projects (100%) are now complete in Uttarakhand for taking care of pollution from 17 Ganga towns near river Ganga, which is a landmark achievement.
  • The Haridwar-Rishikesh zone contributes about 80% wastewater load into the River Ganga.
• Namami Gange Programme:
  
  • Namami Gange Programme is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as a ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution and conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
  • It is being operated under the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.
  • The program is being implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), and its state counterpart organizations i.e., State Program Management Groups (SPMGs).
    
    • NMCG is the implementation wing of National Ganga Council (set in 2016; which replaced the National Ganga River Basin Authority - NGRBA).
  • It has a Rs. 20,000-crore, centrally-funded, non-lapsable corpus and consists of nearly 288 projects.
  • The main pillars of the programme are:
    
    • Sewage Treatment Infrastructure & Industrial Effluent Monitoring
    • River-Front Development & River-Surface Cleaning
    • Bio-Diversity & Afforestation
    • Public Awareness

Other Activities at the Event

• Ganga Avalokan: It is the first museum inaugurated for Ganga.
  
  • The museum is dedicated to showcase the culture, biodiversity and rejuvenation activities done in Ganga river.
  • The museum is located at Chandi Ghat, Haridwar.
• Rowing down the Ganges: A book co-published by National Mission for Clean Ganga & Wildlife Institute of India is also launched.
• The logo of Jal Jeevan Mission and ‘Margdarshika for Gram Panchayats and Paani Samitis under Jal Jeevan Mission’ is also unveiled during the event.

Way Forward

• The government’s Namami Gange Programme has revitalised India’s efforts in rejuvenating the Ganga.
• It is important to build critical sewage infrastructure at pollution hotspots along the river Ganga and its tributaries as a first step in this direction.

Source: PIB