Half of the Water Treatment Plants Remain Incomplete in the Namami Gange Project

Half of the Water Treatment Plants Remain Incomplete in the Namami Gange Project
"Why are the Ganga and other rivers still not clean?" The answer lies in the incomplete process of setting up, operating, and maintaining sewage treatment plants (STPs). Under the Namami Gange project, a total of 290 STPs were planned, but only 147 have been completed. The remaining 143 are in various stages, from tender to construction.
Key Points:
•    Only 147 STPs have been completed in 10 years, with 143 still under construction or in the tendering process.
•    The Water Resources Minister has instructed all project files to be finalized by December 31.
This estimate does not cover only Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal. These states have received approval for the construction of additional STPs, with a target completion by 2026. The projects aim to achieve a total treatment capacity of 7,000 million litters per day, a crucial step given that 6,274 million litters of untreated sewage is currently discharged into the Ganga every day. Additionally, 12 billion litters of sewage per day reach the river through other sources.
If the states fail to follow protocols, water pollution risks will continue to loom. Over the past three years, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has reviewed three proposals for setting up STPs. Due to delays, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) instructed 10 new STPs in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar last month. In addition, the Senior Engineer of the Project Management Group highlighted issues regarding delays and stressed the need for further STP approvals.
Recently, NGT also took steps to expedite pending proposals for additional capacity. It remains concerning that as of 2023, approvals for road connections have not been granted for many plants, allowing only 10 STPs to expand their capacity this year.