Gadkari says Ganga cleaning priority

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation, has directed all stakeholders to make urgent and concerted efforts to remove existing bottlenecks and ensure that the projects get completed well before the stipulated dates.

Reviewing the projects in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi on 6 Dec 2018, he said cleaning Ganga and its tributaries is a major priority for the Government.

To ensure priority, it is “absolutely necessary” that the sewage infrastructure and other projects, including network of drains and household connections are completed urgently and in a comprehensive way.

In Uttar Pradesh, a total of 70 projects costing Rs.9,405.92 crores have been sanctioned under NamamiGange programme. Of these there are 40 sewage infrastructure projects.

Eleven of these projects have been completed, 22 are in progress, tender for one is being evaluated, three are under process of tendering and three have to be tendered, said officials in an update to the Minister.

One of the major achievements in the state has been the recent interception and diversion of SisamauNala in Kanpur, the worst pollutant for river Ganga that emptied waste water from the tanneries into the river.

Five other STP works are in various stages of progress at Baniyapurva, sewerage district I, Shuklaganj, Unnao and Pankha in the city of Kanpur.

In Varanasi, the projected sewage generation for 2035 is 400 MLD. The existing treatment capacity of the city is 242 MLD and the STP projects in progress will create an additional treatment capacity of 170 MLD.

There is a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) assisted project in six packages of which three have been completed and work is under progress for three packages including rehabilitation of old trunk sewer, pumping stations and STPs at Dinapur and Bhagwanpur and other work for pollution abatement.

The other ongoing projects in the city include Trans Varuna Sewerage Network, 120 MLD Goithaha STP and 50 MLD STP at Ramana on Hybrid Annuity mode.

In Allahabad, the projected generation of sewage for 2035 is 234 MLD. The city already has a treatment capacity of 268 MLD.

Work is in progress to add a further capacity of 72 MLD. STP projects with 119 MLD capacity have been completed at Kodra, Rajapur, Salori, Naini, Numayadahi and Ponghat.

Three projects for sewerage works are likely to be completed soon and two projects forI&D and STP Works at Naini, Jhunsi and Phaphamau and rehabilitation and O&M of Existing Sewage Treatment Infrastructure are to be tendered.

STP projects are also under progress in several other cities like Moradabad, Anupshahr, Bithoor,Ramnagar, Farrukhabad, Mathura, Ayodhya, Vrindavan, Mirzapur, Ghazipur,Agra, Kasganj, Sultanpur

Work is also going on for projects for industrial pollution abatement at Jajmau in Kanpur for sewage from the tanneries and Mathura for the textile printing units.

In addition to these, three projects worth Rs.133.28 crore have been sanctioned for providing sanitation during the upcoming KumbhMela next year.

Projects have also been sanctioned for cities on tributaries of Ganga like Yamuna, Kali, Ghaghra, Ram Ganga, Saryu and Gomti.

Ninety-foud Ghat and Crematoria development projects worth Rs.425.1 crore have also been sanctioned for Uttar Pradesh. Of these 41 have been completed and the rest are under progress.

In Delhi, the JICA assisted Yamuna Action Plan Project is under implementation in Rithala, Okhla and Kondli drainage zones.

The approved cost of 8 projects under this is Rs,1,656 crore. Seven of these projects have been awarded.

In addition to this, 14 STP projects are being implemented in the command area of Najafgarh zone, according to the ministerial review. fiinews.com