Govt plans dedicated institute for Ganga rejuvenation

As part of its efforts to relieve the Ganga of the clutches of pollution, the government has planned to establish an institute dedicated for the holy river.
The Ministry of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation is planning to set up the 'Ganga Institute of River Sciences' at a suitable location of the river, which flows through five major states such as Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal.
The initiative comes in the backdrop of the NDA government's thrust to clean the polluted river for which an Integrated Ganga Conservation Mission called "Namami Gange" has been proposed.
This apart, research projects relating to assessment of quality of Ganga water and study of communities traditionally depending on the holy river for their livelihood is also on cards.

The ministry is also contemplating to promote organic farming in villages adjacent to the Ganga in coordination with the Agriculture Ministry, in a bid to control river pollution caused by chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
The government is also looking at adopting suitable technology and financial models for treatment of sewage and other effluents that are flowing directly into the river.
About 12,000 million litres per day (mld) sewage is generated in the Ganga river basin, though treatment capacity is available for only around 4,000 mld.
The industrial pockets in the catchments of Ramganga and Kali rivers and in Kanpur city are significant sources of industrial pollution. The major contributors are tanneries in Kanpur, distilleries, paper mills and sugar mills in the Kosi, Ramganga and Kali river catchments.