Freshly, the World Bank has accepted a five-year loan (for the 2nd phase) to the NMCG or Namami Gange Project worth lakh crore to assist stem pollution in the Ganga river basin.

• So far, 313 projects worth a thousand crore have been approved under the mission.

Key Points

• The First Phase: The Namami Gange has so far gotten  4,535 crores from the World Bank as a chunk of the foremost phase (valid until December 2021) of the National Ganga River Basin.
• The Second Phase:
  • Hybrid Annuity scheme: The loan will fund a new ‘Hybrid Annuity scheme in Saharanpur, Agra, and Meerut, UP for the tributaries of Ganga.
  • Cleaning Projects: Some of the schemes involve spillover projects from the foremost phase of the mission as well as cleaning schemes in tributaries like the Kali and Yamuna rivers.

• • DBOT Projects: Rs.1,209 crore is offered for ongoing DBOT ( Operate, Transfer, Design, and Build) projects in Begusarai, Munger, Buxar in Bihar.

• Other Initiatives: It will include improving investment resilience, institutional development to Covid-19 such as performance-based incentives, emergencies for communication and management schemes, and Urban Local Bodies.

• Associated Challenges:
  • Pollution:
    • Most of the Ganga is contaminated and it is due to the existence of five states on the river’s main root.
  • Illegal Construction: The issue of rampant and illegal construction near river beds has become a crucial barrier in cleaning the river.
  • Poor Governance: There is less usage of funds allotted under the system due to a lack of supervision and monitoring.

Namami Gange Programme

• The program is being executed by NMCG, and its state counterpart companies i.e., SPMGs.
  • NMCG is the execution wing of the National Ganga Council(set in 2016; which replaced the NBA).
• It has a 20,000-crore, non-lapsable collection, centrally funded, and comprises nearly numerous projects.
• The major support of the program are:
  • Industrial Effluent Monitoring and Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure,
  • River-Surface Cleaning and River-Front Development,
  • Afforestation and Bio-Diversity,
  • Public Awareness

Other Initiatives Taken

• Ganga Action Plan: It was the initial River Action Plan to upgrade the water quality by the interception and diversion of domestic sewage.
  • The National River Conservation scheme is an extension to the Ganga Action yojana. It focuses on cleansing the Ganga river under Ganga Action Plan.
• Clean Ganga Fund: In 2014, it was set up for cleaning up of the Ganga, formed up of conservation of biotic diversity of the river and waste treatment plants.
• Bhuvan-Ganga Web App: It makes certain participation of the public in the monitoring of pollution getting into river Ganga.
• Prohibit on Waste Disposal: In 2017, the National Green Tribunal ban getting rid of any waste in the Ganga.

Way Forward

• The gov. Namami Gange scheme has strengthened India’s efforts in refreshing the Ganga.
• In this line, the foremost World Bank loan has supported constructing critical sewage infrastructure in pollution hotspots along the river and the present funding would assist in the washing of the Ganga tributaries.
• It will further support the gov. to build up the institutions required to manage a river basin as huge as Ganga Basin.
• To successfully execute the scheme there is a requirement for a planned blueprint that involves conservation of biodiversity in Ganga, utilization of digital media, mass awareness campaigns, and strict monitoring.

Objectives of National Mission for Clean Ganga

• The clean Ganga incorporates boosting and rehabilitating the surviving STPs and immediate short-term steps to hold back pollution at exit points on the riverfront to trace the inflow of junk.
• To support the progression of water flow without swapping the natural season disparity.
• To maintain and restore the groundwater and surface flow.
• To maintain and regenerate the natural vegetation of the region.
• To regenerate and conserve the aquatic biodiversity along with the riparian biodiversity of the river Ganga basin.
• To permit the participation of the public in the procedure of management, protection, and rejuvenation of the river.

Initiatives towards Clean Ganga

A lot of plans were taken before the initiation of the Clean Ganga Mission that aim towards the depletion of cleaning and pollution of river Ganga. Some of the crucial initiatives taken by the Gov. of India before the execution of this mission are discussed here:

• Ganga Action Plan: It was declared in 1985. This was the foremost River Action scheme that was launched for the development of water quality through treatment, interception, and diversion of domestic sewage. The scheme aimed to prevent out the entry of industrial and toxic chemical wastes into the river.
• National River Conservation Plan: This conservation scheme was evolved as an addition to Ganga Action Plan with a focus to cover all major rivers of our nation.
• National River Ganga Basin Authority (NBA): Controlled by the PM of India, the NRGBA was shaped under Section-3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 by the Central Gov. in 2009. It announced the Ganga as the National River of India.
• A Gov. clean-up campaign was initiated in 2010 to stop the entry of untreated industrial runoff or municipal sewage into the river.

Challenges Faced by NMCG

• Poor Governance: due to lack of proper supervision and monitoring there is lesser use of funds allotted under the programs.
• Violation of e-Flow Norms: As per the CWC, 4 of the 11 hydropower systems on the upper reaches of a river Ganga’s tributaries are breaching Ganga ecological flow (e-flow) norms which further interrupts the natural flow of the river.
• Pollution:

• • Due to the existence of five states (West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand) on the river’s mainstream, mostly the Ganga is polluted.
  • Industrial pollution from tanneries in the paper, sugar mills, Kanpur, and distilleries in the Kali, Ramganga, and Kosi river catchments are crucial contributors.
• Illegal Construction: The issue of rampant and illegal construction near river beds has become a vital obstacle in cleaning the river.

When was NMCG launched?

It was inaugurated in June 2014, to attain two objectives, i.e., rejuvenation and conservation of Ganga.

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