Mass projects to reduce pollution caused by cremation: Minister

Union Minister of State for Water Resources Satya Pal Singh on Thursday told the Lok Sabha that a large number of projects have been taken up to combat pollution raised by cremation of bodies on ghats of river Ganga.

"National Green Tribunal (NGT) has made reference to a report that indicated dumping of burnt and unburnt human dead bodies amongst one of the factors causing pollution into the rivers," the Minister said in a written reply in the House.

According to the Ministry, government has executed 105 projects of waste water management, three projects of ghat cleaning and 37 projects of ghat and crematoria development to improve the ecosystem of entire stretch of river Ganga.

With an aim to reduce burning of woods, Singh said under National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), five projects of electric crematoria have been completed in Kolkata, Howrah, Mahestala, Hooghly-Chinsura and Halishahar in West Bengal.

The Minister said further four projects of electric crematoria, which are under construction at Garulia, Bhatpara and Naihati in West Bengal and Patna in Bihar, will be completed by the end of 2018.

Singh said that river water quality assessment carried out in 2017 indicates improvement in water quality compared to 2016.

--IANS

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