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Namami Gange campaign spurring revival of river culture: Yogi Adityanath
For the last 100 years, over 140 million litres of sewage used to fall into the Ganga daily from the Sisamau drain in Kanpur, but the BJP government stopped it and converted it into a selfie point, Yogi Adityanath says
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said the Namami Gange campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has turned into an important aspect in the revival of the river culture in the country after independence.
Speaking at the Ganga Yatra programme in Lucknow, Yogi Adityanath said major portions of the Ganga and the Yamuna flowed through Uttar Pradesh.
Plans to make the Ganga pollution-free were made earlier, too, Yogi Adityanath noted, adding that the Ganga Action Plan was launched in 1986.
The central and state governments had to work together in Bihar, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh to make the river pollution-free, Yogi Adityanath said.
When the government assessed the quality of Ganga water before the launch of Namami Gange, it was found that the river was the most polluted, Yogi Adityanath said.
The Namami Gange scheme was launched successfully in Uttar Pradesh where the condition of the Ganga in Kanpur was the “worst”, so much so that flora and fauna had perished there, but today not even a drop of sewage fell into the river, Yogi Adityanath said.
For the last 100 years, over 140 million litres of sewage used to fall into the river daily from the Sisamau drain in Kanpur, but the BJP government stopped it and converted it into a selfie point, Yogi Adityanath said.
“Today, not even a drop of sewer water falls into the Ganga (in Kanpur) leading to the revival of flora and fauna,” Yogi Adityanath said
The success of the Kumbh Mela held at Prayagraj in 2019 highlighted the cleanliness of the Ganga, Yogi Adityanath said.
A large number of people took holy dip in the Ganga during the Kumbh Mela. The cleanliness of the river was possible with the active support of the people, he said.
The state government had included 10 tributaries of the Ganga in the project, Yogi Adityanath added.
“The Ganga looks clean in Varanasi. The pilgrims are using (river) water for offering prayers. Dolphins are also seen in the river. The state government has launched a drive to check the flow of waste into the river in coordination with the central government. Out of the 46 projects, 25 have been completed and work on 19 projects are in progress. Crematoriums are being modernised. Technology is being used to make the Ganga clean,” he said.
Along with cleaning the Ganga, the state government is promoting organic and horticulture along the river.
Ganga nursery and Ganga park have been established on both banks of the river.
The state government has given a thrust to tree plantation on both riverbanks. Free saplings have been distributed among the farmers and subsidy is being given to promote plantation, he said.
People should contribute to keeping the Ganga and its tributaries clean. The UP government has constituted the Ganga Committee at the district and the state level to organise programmes to keep the river clean, he said.
