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Ganga action plan upsc notes 94
BA (Hons.) History
University of Delhi
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Ganga Action Plan
Government funds are used to support the Ganga Action Plan (GAP). Following this idea, the National River Ganga Basin Authority was established, and Ganga was designated a national river of India. In 1985, the Ganga Action Plan, the first river action plan, was taken up by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Since then, the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), which extended the programme to other large rivers in 1995, has allowed it to cover all of the nation's major rivers.
Ganga Action Plan Background
Due to development along river stretches, waste dumping, and other problems, water pollution has consistently worsened. The catastrophic condition of the Ganga River is a manifestation of this issue. Since the Ganga Action Plan's (GAP) introduction in 1985, efforts have been undertaken in this direction. The Government of India first proposed the notion of cleaning the Ganga river in 1979. Still, the Ganga Action Plan could not be started until 1985, following a thorough examination of the Ganga by CPCB.
Overview of Ganga Action Plan
The ultimate aim of the Ganga Action Plan was to create an integrated river basin management strategy that considers the many dynamic connections between abiotic & biotic ecosystems. The Ganga Action Plan is essential because: - To reduce pollution in the Ganga River, the program was launched. The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) program was entirely funded by the federal government. - This tactic led to establishment of the National River Ganga Basin Board and the designation of Ganga as an Indian national river. Rajiv Gandhi oversaw the Ganga Action Plan. The prime minister & chief ministers of each state where the Ganga flows are in charge of the authority. - There were two phases to Ganga Action Plan. Phase I began in 1985 and encompassed the three states that were present at the time: UP, West Bengal and Bihar. - Whereas Ganga Action Plan Phase II was introduced in 1993, which includes the seven states of Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Haryana, & Delhi. - The Ganga action plan for each tributary was developed in the second phase. The second phase of the same programme saw the beginning of the national river conservation strategy. Along with Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar & Mahananda, it also comprised Ganga tributaries. - The general planning and execution of GAP were delegated to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). The Central Ganga Authority (CGA), led by the Indian Prime Minister, was created due to the Environment Protection Act of 1986.
Need for Ganga Action Plan
The urbanization and industrialization that took place in the late 1970s led to a large rise in the amount of untreated sewage that was dumped into waterways. As a result of the increasing
pollution, there was less clean drinking water available, which increased the danger of illnesses, including cholera, typhoid, and others transmitted by water.
The largest river, Ganga, saw a substantial rise in pollution due to practices like open defecation, the release of untreated industrial waste, and other causes. Because there were no regulations to keep these areas in check, none of this could have been prevented. That is why the government launched the Ganga Action Plan to clear the river Ganga nationwide.
Objectives of the Ganga Action Plan
The Ganga Action Plan aims to systematically and deliberately reduce pollution in the most important river. - To enhance the water quality of the Ganga to acceptable norms at the time the government developed the Ganga Action Plan, the goal was to stop the pollutant load from entering the river. - The Ganga Action Plan placed a high priority on reducing pollution and raising water quality. GAP places a lot of emphasis on sewage interception & treatment facilities. - Additionally, it emphasised biodiversity preservation, creating an integrated river basin management strategy, thorough research to advance these goals and experience- building for implementing the program to clean up other polluted rivers in India. - Along with reducing pollution, the Ganga Action Plan's overarching goal was to restore biodiversity along the Ganges River's path.
Phases of Ganga Action Plan
Phase I and Phase II of the Ganga Action Plan were each carried out separately. Let us learn the details of each phase of GAP in detail below.
First Phase of Ganga Action Plan
The first phase encompassed three states. The three states in Phase I are West Bengal, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. The first phase of the Ganga Action Plan lasted from January 1986 to March 2000. The goal of this phase was to stop the Ganga from being contaminated. The overall cost to finish Phase 1 of the Ganga Action Plan was Rs. 452 crores.
The Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) 1984 research served as the foundation for developing this plan. According to the CPCB survey, the total amount of sewage produced by 25 Class 1 municipalities was estimated to be over 1340 million litres per day in 1985. To achieve this objective, a total of 261 pollution abatement projects totalling 25 towns in three states, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Bihar, were authorised at a cost of Rs. 462 crores. The closure of phase 1 of the Ganga Action Plan was announced on March 31, 2000. This project developed an 865 million litres per day capacity for treating sewage.
Phase II of the Ganga Action Plan
Phase II covered Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Uttrakhand, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. The Ganga Action Plan Phase II project includes the Yamuna, Gomti, Mahananda,
Ganga action plan upsc notes 94
Course: BA (Hons.) History
University: University of Delhi
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