As per the available information, total sewage generated in the 5 Ganga States (main stem) is about 10,160 MLD against which the available STP capacity is 7820 MLD and to bridge the gap, the projects of 1,996 MLD are at various stages of completion.

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), carries out manual water quality monitoring of the river Ganga at 112 locations across five Ganga main-stem States- Uttarakhand-19; Uttar Pradesh-41; Bihar-33; Jharkhand-04; and West Bengal-15.

As per CPCB report on Polluted River Stretch (PRS) 2025 following information about Ganga main stem pollution is available:

Ganga Main Stem – State-wise Comparison (2018 vs 2025)

State	2018 Polluted Stretch	Priority (2018)	2025 Polluted Stretch	Priority (2025)	Trend/Observation
Uttarakhand	Haridwar → Sultanpur	IV	No PRS	—	Improved and PRS stretch removed
Uttar Pradesh	Kannauj → Varanasi	IV	Bijnor → Tarighat	IV / V	Partially improved
Bihar	Buxar to Bhagalpur	V	Bhagalpur D/S Khalgaon D/S →	V	Marginal pollution remains
Jharkhand	No PRS	—	No PRS	—	—
West Bengal	Triveni → Diamond Harbour	III	Baharampore Diamond Harbour →	V	Improved

Based on the water quality data (median values) of the river Ganga for the year 2025 (January to August), the following observations are made.

1. pH & Dissolved Oxygen (DO) are the most critical parameters of river health. The pH & DO of River Ganga meet the required norms for bathing criteria at all the locations of River Ganga.
2. Water quality of river Ganga is conforming with the bathing criteria w.r.t. Bio- chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the entire stretch of river Ganga in Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar & West Bengal, except the following locations/stretches:

• Farrukhabad to Purana Rajapur, Kanpur.
• Dalmau, Raibareilly.
• D/s Mirzapur to Tarighat, Ghazipur (except two locations namely U/s Varanasi, After confluence Gomti & U/s Ghazipur) in Uttar Pradesh.

As per the biomonitoring conducted during 2024-25 at 50 locations along river Ganga and its tributaries and 26 locations along River Yamuna and its tributaries, the biological water quality (BWQ) predominantly ranged from ‘Good’ to ‘Moderate’. The presence of diverse benthic macro-invertebrate species indicates the ecological potential of the rivers to sustain aquatic life.

NMCG has sanctioned 69 projects at a cost of ₹ 11,741 crore to create a total sewage treatment capacity of 2,161 MLD, during the last 5 financial years (i.e 2021-22 to 2025-26 till November 2025), to curb the pollution in the River Ganga & its tributaries, the details are as under:

The physical targets and achievements during the last five years are as under:

	Physical Progress		Financial Progress
Year	Target Sewage Treatment Capacity (MLD)	Achievement (MLD)	Funds Allocated (Rs. in crore)	Disbursement by NMCG (Rs. in crore)
2020-21	140	64	1,300	1,340
2021-22	280	374	1,900	1,893
2022-23	615	582	2,500	2,259
2023-24	1000	711	2,400	2,396
2024-25	473	612	3,000	2,589
2025-26 (Till 27th November 2025)	600	83	3,400	1192

 

The Government has adopted a comprehensive, technology-driven strategy for the cleaning and rejuvenation of the river Ganga. In addition to introducing innovations in sewage management such as the interception and diversion approach, the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), and provision for 15-year Operation & Maintenance (O&M) of assets for improved sustainability; several new and integrated measures have been taken to ensure long-term effectiveness:

• Integrated River Basin Management (RBM):

To reinforce the integrated approach towards river basin management, a dedicated RBM cell has been established. Under this cell, a Thematic Expert Group has been created to address issues related to plastic pollution in the river Ganga. Climate resilience and disaster risk reduction are integrated into basin planning.

• Operations and Maintenance:

A large number of STPs are now in operation and maintenance phase and dedicated O&M cell has been established to manage the created assets in an efficient and optimal manner.

• Drainage and Pollution Monitoring:

A LiDAR and Drone survey are used to identify all drains discharging into the river, enabling a comprehensive response to drainage-related challenges.

To enhance monitoring, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has implemented parametric monitoring systems for water quality at all Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) and installed CCTV cameras to facilitate physical monitoring of STP operations. Public disclosure of STP performance data further strengthens the accountability framework for infrastructure established by NMCG.

• Urban River Management Planning:

For integrated planning and urban river rejuvenation, NMCG in collaboration with NIUA has promoted preparation of Urban River Management Plans with focus on River sensitive Master Plans for the city. Additionally, two Centers of Excellence have been created to focus on emerging areas such as Decision Support System, Characterizing emerging pollutants, Managed Aquifer Recharge models, and Digital Twin for the river Ganga.

• Nature-Based Solutions, Wetland Rejuvenation and Biodiversity Parks for Flood Plain Restoration:

The Government has also promoted nature-based solutions, including constructed wetlands, as part of the overall river rejuvenation strategy. A focus on rejuvenation of higher order streams/small rivers through mainstreaming of 'NbS' (Nature based Solutions) for effective abatement of pollution coming from hinterland of River Ganga basin

Wetland and spring rejuvenation initiatives are integrated into basin planning, recognizing their role in maintaining base flows and groundwater recharge. The main activities also include to improve the riparian buffer that provides for improved habitat for both terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity.

NMCG is one of its kind programs which is unique in India and is evolving towards a comprehensive template for river rejuvenation for the country. The programmatic flexibility provided by the the Government to the Mission and the program has ensured that mission is continuously evolving and adapting to emerging requirements. The program has moved from piecemeal approach to an integrated basin approach with assured financing and 15-year O&M; it further expanded coverage to tributaries and smaller towns, strengthening FSSM/SM, biodiversity, and wetlands; currently the program is focused on saturation strategy through creation of adequate sewage treatment capacity in towns on Ganga main stem and important tributaries, ecological restoration of rivers through nature based solutions (NbS), pilots for rejuvenation of small rivers, urban river management (URMPs, RCA/GRCA), basin governance (RBM unit), and programmatic circular economy scale-up.

The information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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ND

(Lok Sabha US Q825)

(रिलीज़ आईडी: 2198949) आगंतुक पटल : 93