In its latest meeting on Tuesday, the Executive Committee (EC) of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) approved ten projects, mainly sewerage schemes, worth Rs 1,573.28 crore on river Ganga's main stem and its tributaries located in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal and one sewerage scheme in Himachal Pradesh.
Key among the ten projects is a Rs 857.26-crore project for the rehabilitation and renovation of Agra's sewerage system to curb water pollution in Yamuna river, Ganga's second largest tributary.
In Bihar, projects worth Rs 328.52 crore, where work will be carried out in Chhapra, Fatuha, Bakhtiyarpur and Khagaria have been approved to plug pollution going into Ghaghra river.
Interception and diversion works will be a big component of all schemes, a government note said.
The Agra sewerage scheme comprises tapping 61 drains, construction of three sewerage treatment plants (STPs) with a total capacity of 166 million litres per day, construction of 10 decentralised STPs of 9.38 MLD and also the renovation of two existing STPs. The project cost also includes operation and maintenance cost for 15 years.
In Chhapra, work worth Rs 236.15 crore include a 32 MLD STP, interception and diversion structures for drains and intercepting sewers. The sewage from Chappra town currently drains into Ganga's tributary river Ghaghra. The interception and diversion works are aimed at plugging discharge of sewage into the river.
The EC also approved a project worth Rs 11.57 crore for sewerage management in Paonta town, Himachal Pradesh, which is home to the important Sikh shrine Paonta Sahib Gurudwara. Yamuna river flows through Paonta Sahib and the sewerage scheme has been divided in three zones. It will include a new STP of 1.72 MLD capacity and STP repair works.
The NDA government has targeted a creation of 4,000 million litres per day of sewage treatment capacity and wants to finish 94 STP projects by 2019.
