New Delhi: In all, 12 projects for the development of sewerage infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, were approved along with other projects worth Rs. 2700 crore with a special focus on tributaries of Ganga, by the executive committee of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), on December 23, 2022. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of G. Asok Kumar, Director General, NMCG, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti informed here today.
Afforestation programmes for the year 2022-23 for Uttarakhand and Bihar are also approved at an estimated cost of Rs. 42.80 crore that aims to create an enabling environment for climate resilient and sustainable ecosystem management with a community participatory approach.
In Bihar, the projects approved are one each for Daudnagar and Motihari towns at estimated costs of Rs. 42.25 and 149.15 crore respectively. For Daudnagar, the construction of a 10.50 million litre per day (MLD) Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) along with Interception and Diversion (I&D) works. For Motihari, 4 STPs of 4.6, 6.3, 5.8, and 6.3 MLD capacities and I&D works are envisaged. In Bihar, 4 projects of cost enhancement are also approved.
In Jharkhand, a major project for the construction of 5 STPs of a total 192 MLD capacity (18+21+75+60+18), interception and diversion and other works at an estimated cost of Rs. 808.33 crores in Dhanbad, is also approved. This project is for pollution abatement in River Damodar, an important tributary of River Ganga and aims to tap all the drains falling into Damodar from the town, which indirectly pollutes River Ganga. “With the approval of this project, all projects required for the abatement of pollution in River Damodar in Jharkhand have been approved,” the Ministry stated today.
In West Bengal, a big project for the rejuvenation of river Adi Ganga, a tributary of Ganga, in Kolkata is approved at an estimated cost of Rs. 653.67 crore that includes the construction of 3 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) of 10 million litres per day (MLD), 11.60 MLD and 3.5 MLD capacities.
In Uttar Pradesh, a total of 3 projects is approved, out of which one project pertains to the development of sewerage infrastructure in Prayagraj costing Rs. 475.19 crore. The Prayagraj project envisages the construction of 90 MLD STP along with 20 kilo litres per day (KLD) Faecal Sludge co-treatment facility and effluent station of 90 MLD, interception and diversion works. Two other projects approved in Uttar Pradesh include the construction of a 50 MLD STP, I&D works at an estimated cost of Rs. 264.67 crore at Loniapurva, Lucknow for river Gomti and 24 MLD STP, I&D works etc. at Hathras town for rivers Sengar and Karwan costing Rs. 128.91 crore.
The executive committee also approved another project titled ‘Scientific exploration of floral diversity near the Ganga river banks for ethnobotanical purposes along with their conservation and economic development of the region via skill development programs’ for all five states. The project will be implemented in collaboration with Patanjali Research Institute (PRI) and Patanjali Organic Research Institute (PORI), Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The project has three components including Plant Biodiversity Exploration: Floral diversity, ethnobotanical, medicinal aspect and their phytochemical profiling for commercial valuation, Training and Skill Development: Stakeholders like farmers, traditional healing practitioners and Advanced Scientific Research and Experimentation: Soil and Water quality; their impact on floral phytochemical; soil microbe interaction and its effect, medicinal plant varieties and exploration of medicinal properties.
– global bihari bureau
