The river Ganga may soon get a much-needed clean-up act at the section where it crosses the pilgrimage city of Varanasi, with a little help from the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh state government.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Thursday approved a Rs 497-crore project to set up infrastructure, including a sewage treatment plant of 140 million liter per day capacity, 34km of sewers and three pumping stations, under Mission Clean Ganga of the National Ganga River Basin Authority. While the Centre will foot 85% of the bill, the UP state government will shell out the remaining Rs 69 crore. The project allocation will be the largest approved by the authority since it was set up last year.
According to environment minister Jairam Ramesh, the project is significant because it is forward-looking. The project is the first in a series of schemes that will take into account the needs of the population in 2025-30, as opposed to being based on the current headcount. So, for example, sewerage treatment facilities are being developed keeping in mind the requirements of a more populous city of 15-20 years later.
According to an environment ministry release, Centre has taken a soft loan of around Rs 550 crore from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, repayable over 40 years at an interest rate of 0.75%, and with a grace period of 10 years, for the project.
The project, to be implemented by the UP Jal Nigam and the Varanasi Nagar Nigam over a five-year period, will also undertake the renovation of 26 selected ghats, develop seven dhobi ghats and build community toilet complexes. Its implementation will be monitored by the ministry of environment and forests through a memorandum of agreement between the Centre, the state government and the urban local body.
The National Ganga River Basin Authority was set up by notification of the Centre in early 2009. Its express mandate is to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river which runs a course of 2,510 km through the country and is considered holy among many sections. Environmentalists have criticised the growing pollution of the river, especially at Varanasi, which sees hundreds of pilgrims turning up every year at its ghats for a dip in the river waters.