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NMCG’s executive committee meeting: Five projects worth ₹73.39 crore approved for U.P.
These approved projects are pivotal for improving the river’s ecosystem as they ensure minimised pollution levels in the Ganga, thereby maintaining its cleanliness and ensuring its conservation.
LUCKNOW: The Yogi government’s efforts to conserve and clean the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh have reached another milestone. The National Mission for Clean Ganga has approved five projects worth ₹73 crores in its 56th executive committee meeting held in New Delhi, according to a government press note.
Rajeev Kumar Mital, director general of the National Mission for Clean Ganga chaired the meeting.
These approved projects are pivotal for improving the river’s ecosystem as they ensure minimised pollution levels in the Ganga, thereby maintaining its cleanliness and ensuring its conservation.
After careful consideration, the executive committee appraised the necessity of the projects. To begin with, the committee approved the project titled “Establishment of Secretariat for Smart Laboratory on Clean Rivers (SLCR) at Varanasi,” presented and controlled by IIT (BHU) under the supervision of the National Mission for Clean Ganga.
This ambitious project aims to deploy global expertise and adopt sustainable practices to rejuvenate and give a facelift to all the small rivers across the country, said the statement.
Another crucial project, titled “Faecal Sludge Management for Abatement of Pollution of River Ganga at Dalmau Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh,” was approved as part of the Namami Gange Mission. The project aims to reduce pollution in the Ganga by establishing an 8 KLD Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant, along with a 15 KW Solar Power Plant and one Solar Inverter. Based on the DBOT (Design, Build, Operate, Transfer) model, the project has been approved at an overall cost of ₹4.40 crores, which includes operations and management for a period of five years.
Additionally, a sewerage project focusing on cleaning the Ganga has been officially approved for implementation in Gulaothi, located in the Bulandshahr district. This project aims to prevent pollution in the East Kali, a tributary of the Ganga that flows through eight districts of Uttar Pradesh.
Approved at an estimated cost of ₹50.98 crores, the project is dedicated to intercepting and diverting drains and sewage treatment works with a capacity of 10 MLD (million litres per day) at Gulaothi Town in Uttar Pradesh. The project also includes the operation and management of the STPs (Sewage Treatment Plants) for a period of 15 years.
The construction of the Arth Ganga Centre and the branding of the Railway Station Chheoki in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, along with the in-principle approval for the development of Arth Ganga Centres in Ganga basin states, will see the light of the day. The establishment of the Arth Ganga Centre at Chheoki Railway Station in Prayagraj aims to raise awareness about the river Ganga and environmental issues, particularly during the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 and beyond. The total cost of this project is estimated at ₹1.80 crores, according to the statement.
In addition, the executive committee approved the “Restoration Plan of Lower Order Streams and Tributaries in the Upper Gomti River Basin through Nature-Based Solutions (NbS).” Proposed by Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Central University in Lucknow, this project focuses on rejuvenating lower-order streams and tributaries in the upper Gomti River Basin using nature-based solutions to enhance the health of the river Ganga. The project, costing approximately ₹81.09 lakh, is of great importance as small rivers and streams play a crucial role in maintaining the water flow and ecosystem of larger rivers. River restoration is key to sustainable water management, making this initiative a priority.
The meeting was attended by several senior officials, including Nalin Srivastava, deputy director general of the National Mission for Clean Gangam, Brijendra Swaroop, ED (Projects); Anup Kumar Srivastava, ED (Technical); SP Vashishth, ED (Admin); Bhaskar Dasgupta, ED (Finance); Richa Misra, joint secretary and financial advisor, department of water resources, river development and ganga rejuvenation, ministry of Jal Shakti; and others.
