Seven years on, mission to clean the Ganga remains a work in progress

Contact Counsellor

Last Updated03/09/2023

Since the government unveiled its ambitious National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), it has installed treatment plants capable of treating just 20% of the sewage.
This is expected to increase to about 33% by 2024 and it is projected that treatment plants will be capable of treating 60% of sewage by December 2026.
These calculations are premised on sewage being generated in the five States viz. Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, through which the river courses.

Establishment: 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act,1860 as a registered society.
It is implemented by the National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga also known as the National Ganga Council.
Mandate: To plan, execute, monitor and coordinate various activities under the Namami Gange programme.

To rehabilitate and boost the existing STPs (Sewage Treatment Plants) and instant short-term steps to curb pollution at exit points on the riverfront.
To maintain the continuity of the water flow without changing the natural season variations.
To restore and maintain the surface flow and groundwater.
To regenerate and maintain the natural vegetation of the area.
To conserve and regenerate the aquatic biodiversity as well as the riparian biodiversity of the river Ganga basin.
To allow participation of the public in the process of protection, rejuvenation and management of the river.

Rise in the dolphin population, both adult and juvenile, from 2,000 to about 4,000.
Presence of dolphins in new stretches of the river as well as in tributaries of the Ganga.
Fishermen are also reporting the increased presence of Indian carp (a fish species) that only thrives in clean water.

It is the longest river of India and is revered by Hindus as the most sacred river on earth.
It originates in the snowfields of the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas.
- At its source, the river is called the Bhagirathi.
- It descends down the valley upto Devprayag where after joining another hill stream Alaknanda, it is called Ganga.
The Ganga basin outspreads in India, Tibet (China), Nepal and Bangladesh over an area of 10,86,000 Sq.km.
Drainage Basin: Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Union Territory of Delhi draining nearly 26% of the total geographical area of the country.
Tributaries
- Right Tributaries: The Yamuna and the Son
- Left tributaries: The Ramganga, the Ghaghra, the Gandak, the Kosi and the Mahananda
- Sub Tributaries: The Chambal and the Betwa
The Ganga River basin is one of the most fertile and densely populated areas of the world.
The Ganges River Dolphin is an endangered animal that specifically habitats this river.
The Ganga joins the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh and continues its run under the name Padma or Ganga.
The Ganga widens out into the Ganges Delta in the Sundarbans swamp of Bangladesh, before it ends its journey by emptying into the Bay of Bengal.