New Delhi: Union Environment Ministry has taken up a new strategy for conservation and rejuvenation of major river water systems. The new strategy takes into account the entire river basin, which is contributing its flow to the particular river stretch for conservation. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Science & Technology, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, in New Delhi today.
“The present strategy for conservation of rivers is limited only to tackling pollution load from domestic wastewater and regulation of industrial pollution,” Dr. Harsh Vardhan said. “The new approach is a holistic one for rejuvenation of rivers, wherein water management and environment management are taken together for implementation to restore the lost ecology of the polluted stretches of the rivers”, he added.
Dr. Harsh Vardhan also took a decision to call a meeting of all five states at the earliest and work out an implementation plan for Ganga river basin at the earliest and also rope in the resources from CAMPA fund.
The Central Pollution Control Board had identified 302 river stretches on 275 rivers in the country as polluted, based on Bio-Chemical Oxygen Demand, a critical parameter of water quality.
The Minister said that a tentative action plan has been drawn up, “To begin with, we need to try it out on a few stretches in the country covering sub-basin or catchment area of river”, Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated. He pointed out that independent institutions like IITs will be entrusted with the study for preparation and finalisation of river basin management and rejuvenation plan for nine selected stretches.
Since sewage into the selected river stretches is the most significant polluter, projects to treat it will be taken up immediately. Dr. Harsh Vardhan emphasized that under the conservation plans, sewage treatment will be made mandatory along the identified stretches. Since enforcement of provisions of the Water Act and Environment (Protection) Act comes under the local bodies in respective states, the Environment Ministry plans to set up a sewage management system with private participation.
Some of the other actions include watershed management, construction of small check-dams along the catchment area, scientific assessment of quantum of environmental flow in each stretch, rejuvenation of lakes and wetlands along the river basin and protection of floodplains from encroachment.
A detailed presentation on DPR on Forestry Interventions for Ganga was made by Director, Forest Research Institute. Appreciating the efforts of the FRI, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that it is a comprehensive document covering all aspects of forestry interventions required, including past and present status of Ganga river and its environmental peculiarities. The project report prepared by FRI for Catchment area Treatment of Ganga river covers five states – Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal has an estimated cost of Rs. 2500 crore approximately. The need of the hour is to prepare a project for the catchments of all important rivers of the country and implement the same over a period of next 10 years. The ultimate mission is to make all the rivers clean and ensure adequate water in the river to flow.
The meeting was attended by Director General (Forest) and Special Secretary, Dr. Siddhant Das, Additional Secretary, MoEF&CC, Shri A.K Mehta and other senior officers of the Ministry.
