A river that nurtured civilisations

The mighty Ganga has been a source of sustenance and penance. It finds reference in many of our ancient books. Apart from mythological and historical references, the constant flow and presence of certain bacteria in its waters have bestowed a special status to it. Despite the holy river having nurtured civilisation through ages, it has been abused with waste and rubbish.

The Ganga arises out of the Himalayas and flows through over 2,500 km before emptying into the Bay of Bengal. It crosses five states – Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.

The Ganga Basin is the largest of its kind in India in terms of catchment area that constitutes over a quarter of India’s land mass and supports more than 40 per cent of the population. The Ganga Basin provides over one-third of India’s surface water and includes the country’s largest irrigated area.

With all efforts of earlier governments having failed to rejuvenate the Ganga, the Modi Government decided to provide the impetus through the Namami Gange Programme – a project directly overseen by the Prime Minister himself.

The NGP is increasingly emerging as a river rejuvenation model for the entire country. The 5R Concept of Circular Economy, at the helm of policy decisions, includes reducing wastage, recycling water, reusing water, rejuvenating rivers, and respecting water.

Even during the pandemicinduced lockdowns, it was ensured that all the sewage treatment plants continued to function. Guidelines were issued to follow all safety precautions while continuing the operations.