The Ganga river basin is home to 40% of India's population and receives pollution from domestic and industrial waste from many cities and towns. The Ganga Action Plan was launched in 1985 to improve water quality by treating sewage and reducing pollution. Phase 1 aimed to treat 882 MLD of sewage from 25 cities but had shortcomings. Phase 2 expanded the plan but made limited progress, treating only 780 MLD against a target of 1912 MLD. Implementation of the plan faced issues with monitoring, delays in schemes, and improper maintenance.

1. PREPARED BY: JEGAN. S.NADAR

4. POLLUTION IN GANGA RIVER SYSTEM
 The Ganga basin is the largest river basin in the country
 It houses 40% of population of the country

5.  During the course of its journey Municipal sewages from
 29 class-I cities
 23 class-II cities
 48 towns
and effluents from industry are discharged into river ganga
resulting into pollution
 According to CPCB pollution control board the total waste water
generation on ganga basin is about 6445 MLD
Jegan Nadar

6. SOURCES OF POLLUTION
 Dosmestic waste
 Industrial effluents
 Solid garbage thrown directly into river
 Agricultural run-off containing harmful pesticide
 Half burned and unburned human bodies thrown into river
 Defecation on the banks by low income people
 Mass bathing and ritualistic practices
Jegan Nadar

8. Launching of GAP
 An action plan known as ganga action plan for immediate
reduction of pollution load on the Ganga was prepared by MoEF
in december 1984
 Government of India constitued Central Ganga Authority (CGA)
under chairmanship of Prime Minister in Feb 1985
 CGA has been renamed as NRCA in Sep 1995
Jegan Nadar

9.  The cabinet approved GAP in April 1985
 The GAP was thus launched in June 1985
Jegan Nadar

10. OBJECTIVES OF GAP
 The of main objectives GAP is to improve the water quality of the
ganga to acceptable standards by preventing the pollution load
reaching the river
 The restoring the river water quality to the bathing class standard
which is as follows
Dissolved oxygen NLT 5 mg/litre
Bio chemical oxygen demand (BOD) NMT 3 mg/litre
Bacterial load/coliform count NMT 10,000/ml
Faecal coliform count NMT 2500/ml
pH value 6.5-8.5
Jegan Nadar

11. GAP Phase-1
 The ganga action plan phase-1 was started in 1985 to improve water
quality
 GAP-1 envisaged diversion and treatment of 882 MLD out of 1340
MLD generated from 25 class-I cities.
 The main problem was to tackle pollution from municipal sewage
accounting for about 75% of river pollution
 This program also reduced pollution by creating facilities like toilet
complexus, crematoria, improvement of bathing ghats etc
Jegan Nadar

12.  Under GAP-1, 261 schemes were sanctioned out of which 259 were
completed. 2 schemes of sewage treatment plant (STP) were not
completed in Bihar because of litigation problems
 A sewage treatment capacity of 865 MLD has been created so far till
Oct 2000. With the completion of 2 remaining STP the total capacity
will become 882 MLD
 The NRCD has scheduled the GAP-I for completion by March 1990
but extended till march 2000 when this phase was declared closed
Jegan Nadar

13. GAP Phase-2
 GAP-1 did not cover the pollution load of ganga fully
 So Ganga action plan phase-II was launched in stages between 1993
and 1996
 On tributaries of ganga viz;Yamuma, Domaodar and Gomti
 In 25 class-I cities left out in phase-1
 In other polluting towns along the river
Jegan Nadar

14.  The states of Uttaranchal, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar
and West Bengal were supposed to implement the GAP-3 by
treating 1912 MLD of sewage
 But against this a treatment capacity of 780 MLD has been
created so far
Jegan Nadar

15. Various shortcomings in the implementation of GAP
 Monitoring Mechanism
 NRCA met only twice, in 1994 and 1997
 NRCD did not show any results/records of field visits, review
meetings, follow up action and implementation program
 Even State governments failed to implement and monitor the
committees constituted for monitoring purposes
Jegan Nadar

16.  Execution of Schemes
 Phase-1 of the plan was not fully complete, even after delay of
over 10years
 Even Phase-2 is also far behind its schedule. It is due to end in
Dec 2001, but only 13.7% of targeted sewage treatment capacity
has been completed so far
Jegan Nadar

17.  Core Schemes: STP
 Bihar and West Bengal could not obtain sanction from the
Ministry for any sewage treatment plant in the phase-2 of the
plan
 Improper operation and maintenance of assests
 Public participation
 Water quality monitoring
Jegan Nadar

18. Jegan Nadar