Meeting held to address holistic conservation approach in Ganga basin rejuvenation

A meeting was held here to address the holistic conservation approach towards river rejuvenation adopted by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in the Ganga River Basin.

The stakeholders' meeting, held at the Circuit House on Thursday, addressed pollution abatement in several rivers including, Hindon, Krishni and Kali West, as per an official release.

The meet was chaired by UP Singh, Secretary of Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The critical issue of liquid pollution in the rivers Hindon, Krishni and Kali West flowing through three districts under Saharanpur division and river rejuvenation works for these rivers were discussed.

As per the release, the rejuvenation works are also being supplemented under the Namami Gange Programme, which is a holistic conservation mission for rejuvenation of river Ganga and its tributaries.

NMCG Director-General (DG) Rajiv Ranjan Mishra briefed the stakeholders present at the meeting about the initiatives under the Namami Gange Programme and informed that District Ganga Committees (DGCs) may become focus institutions for the implementation of various efforts at the district level.

He asked them to immediately constitute DGCs in these three districts and take the lead in constituting DGCs on tributaries, according to the release.

Moreover, the Divisional Commissioner presented action plans on which the districts are working and outlined targets which will be completed within the earmarked time schedule in the coming six months.

At the same time, the Divisional Commissioner Saharanpur informed that maximum tree plantation has been done in Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar districts for the last two years.

Subsequently, a field visit was carried out by the senior officials to oversee forestry interventions along the river banks. The ghats constructed along the Paodhayi river were also inspected, as per the release.