NMCG pens MoU with Japanese NGO
Countries like Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Finland and Israel have shown keen interest in collaborating with the Indian government for the mammoth task of cleaning polluted Ganga River.
The National Mission for Clean Ganga has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Japanese NGO, OISCA International, to collaborate in specific activities for pollution abatement and river rejuvenation, said Ministry of Water Resources, River, Development & Ganga Rejuvenation in a year review.
OISCA is the Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement – International.
A total of 187 projects worth Rs.16,565.34 crore have been sanctioned under the Namami Gange Programme for sewage infrastructure, ghats and crematoria development, river front development, river surface cleaning, institutional development, biodiversity conservation, afforestation, rural sanitation, and public participation.
Ninety-three out of these 187 were sanctioned for creation of 2,205.08 MLD new sewage treatment plants (STPs), rehabilitation of 564.3 MLD of existing STPs and laying/rehabilitation of 4,762.4 km sewer network for abatement of pollution in river Ganga and Yamuna.
The National Mission for Clean Ganga has approved 44 projects worth Rs.7,547.87 crore. These projects pertain to creation of adequate sewage treatment capacities in Ganga basin States – Uttarakhand (17) Uttar Pradesh (10), Bihar (11) Jharkhand (1) West Bengal (3) and Delhi (2).
The approved projects will create a 1,402.26 MLD STP capacity and sewer network length of 1,429.24 km.
Works on two STP projects (50 MLD in Varanasi and 82 MLD in Haridwar) have been started under Hybrid Annuity Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode (HAM).
Other projects sanctioned under HAM are Naini, Jhusi, Phaphamau, Unnao, Shuklaganj and Farrukhabad in Uttar Pradesh, Digha, Kankarbagh and Bhagalpur in Bihar, Howrah, Bally and Tolly’s Nallah in Kolkata.
Thirty-six Real Time Water Quality Monitoring Station (RTWQMS) are operational under Namami Gange programme, according to the review of work and progress in 2017.
A survey of 1,109 Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) has resulted in closure of 333 (GPIs) while closure notices were given to other non-complying GPIs. fii-news.com
