Pollution in the Ganga reaches Gangotri

Decades of fruitless efforts to clean Ganga

The Ganga, one of the most revered rivers in India and a symbol of spiritual and cultural significance, has been grappling with severe pollution for decades. Despite multiple government initiatives, massive financial investments and ambitious restoration projects, the river continues to be one of the most polluted in the world with untreated sewage, industrial waste and religious offerings.

The Ganga, revered as one of India’s holiest rivers and admired worldwide for its cultural and spiritual significance, has sadly become one of the most polluted rivers in the world in recent years.

Despite numerous government initiatives, massive investments, and various restoration schemes, the river and its tributaries continue to bear the burden of severe pollution, with its waters still contaminated by industrial waste, untreated sewage, and religious offerings.

A recent report submitted by the Uttarakhand government to the National Green Tribunal during a hearing on pollution control in the Ganga in Uttarakhand, as part of NGT’s efforts to address pollution in each state through which the Ganga flows, highlights another disturbing development as untreated effluent from a sewage treatment plant has been contaminating the Ganga near its source. 

The original application filed by environmentalist M C Mehta, focuses on preventing and controlling pollution in the Ganga and its tributaries. 

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) standards specify that water with a Most Probable Number (MPN) of faecal coliform bacteria below 500/100 ml is considered suitable for organised outdoor bathing. However, according to the submitted data, sewage samples from a sewage treatment plant (STP) with a capacity of one million litres per day at Gangotri show contamination from both human and animal waste, with an MPN level of 540/100 ml which exceeds the acceptable limit set by the CPCB.

A report submitted by the CPCB to the tribunal states that out of the 53 sewage treatment plants in Uttarakhand, only 50 have been operational and of which as many as 48 fail to meet the norms regarding the FC levels, biochemical oxygen demand removal efficiency and sewage utilisation capacity.

During the hearing NGT also observed that 63 drains are discharging directly into the Ganga and its tributaries without treatment. It cited areas like Kashipur, Bazpur and Kichha, where all drains are still untapped.

The tribunal also highlighted various inconsistencies in the state’s report and directed the chief secretary of Uttarakhand to review the situation and submit a detailed report. 

“Many of the STPs in Uttarakhand are either underutilised or are receiving excess quantity of sewage against their designed capacity, and there is no mention of the inundation of STPs during flooding or backflow,” noted NGT.

“The next report of the state needs to clarify action to be taken in a time-bound manner to ensure that no sewage carrying load and FC joins Ganga or its tributaries,” the tribunal added. 

Unsuccessful government initiatives 

For decades, the Indian government, under different leaderships, has made repeated attempts to clean the Ganges, yet the issue remains a hot political topic with limited tangible progress. 

Numerous initiatives have been launched, but environmental organisations including the National Green Tribunal (NGT) have consistently criticised the efforts, describing them as collective failures over the years. 

A 1984 study prepared by the Central Pollution Control Board noted three-fourths of the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) of the Ganga was from untreated municipal sewage and 88 pc of this came from 27 Class-I cities. The first Ganga Action Plan, aimed at cleaning the holy river and improving its water quality began in 1985 under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The Namami Gange Programme was established in 2014 under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). The Prime Minister pledged approximately INR 200 billion to the cause, setting ambitious goals for the river’s rejuvenation.

 The NMCG’s twin objectives are the “effective abatement of pollution” and the “conservation and rejuvenation” of the Ganga, with the overarching aim of making the river fit for bathing. 

The government has framed it as a scientific initiative, leveraging modern technologies to restore the river’s health. Initially, the target for cleaning the river was set for 2019, but this deadline was extended to 2022 with an additional INR 100 billion in funding. The timeline has since been revised to 2026.

According to a study published by Science Direct, a global peer-review science journal, the level of pollution in the Ganga did not change much between 2012 and 2020. In 93 pc of tests at purification plants, at least one of the eight water quality parameters did not satisfy the water quality thresholds. The faecal coliform bacteria exceeded prescribed limits by as much as 100 times.