Pollution Free Ganga by 2020
New Delhi: The Ganga will flow clean and free from pollution by 2020, National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) announced it in a meeting held here recently. According to reports, the NGRBA project has identified the causes behind rising level of pollution in Ganga. Also, an elaborate plan has been rolled out to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the national river. A senior NGRBA official said, “The framework for the river basin has been prepared, which may include 34 projects. Under the scheme USD 3.2 billion would be forked out for abating pollution in selected cities and it was decided that no untreated waste would be discharged into the Ganga till 2020.” A national level survey, carried out by NGRBA, identified untreated sewage and industrial waste as a major cause for polluting the Ganga. According to the survey, only one-third of the 12,000 million litres per day (mld) sewage, generated in the major cities and towns, is treated b