UPSC Express

• Cities situated on river banks will have to incorporate river conservation plans when they prepare their Master Plans, says a policy document from the National Mission for Clean Ganga.
  

About: Namami Gange Programme

• ‘Namami Gange Programme’, is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014.
  • Flagship schemes of Government are those schemes which are the most important schemes and address major national concerns on health, education, environment, etc.
    
  • As the schemes are of utmost importance, the funding of these schemes is slightly higher than other schemes.
    
  
  
• The main pillars of the Namami Gange programme are:
  • Sewerage Treatment Infrastructure & Industrial Effluent Monitoring
    
  • Development of river-front as well as river-surface cleaning
    
  • Bio-Diversity & Afforestation
    
  • Public Awareness
    
  
  
• It is implemented by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
  • NMCG has been given statutory powers under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, giving it bureaucratic autonomy and regulatory powers to execute the mission in coordination with the respective state governments.
    
  
  
• Concerned Ministry: Ministry of Jal Shakti
  
• Corpus: Rs. 20,000 crore
  

About: National Ganga Council

• National Ganga Council was formed in 2016 by an executive order to replace the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA).
  
• This Council has the overall responsibility of preventing pollution and rejuvenating the Ganga River Basin, including the River Ganga and its tributaries.
  
• Prime Minister of India acts as the Chairman of the Council.
  

About: National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)

• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
  
• It is the implementation body of the National Ganga Council.
  
• Objectives:
  • To ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by adopting a river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral co-ordination for comprehensive planning and management.
    
  • To maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.
    
  
  
• NMCG is supported by the State level Programme Management Groups (SPMGs) in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
  

News Summary:

• The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), in its policy document, has emphasised the need for river conservation plans and also noted that these “river-sensitive” plans must be practical and consider questions of encroachment and land ownership.
  
• The recommendations are currently for towns that are on the main stem of the river Ganga.
  • There are, as per the estimate of the policy document, 97 such towns across 5 States.
    
  
  
• As per the policy document, increasing green cover in the vicinity of the river by creating green buffers, removing concrete structures and employing “green infrastructure” is a key aspect of conserving and protecting river and riverine resources.
  
• As per the recommendations, the Master plan should create an environment for facilitating the use of state-of-the-art technologies for river management. These technologies include:
  • Satellite-based monitoring of water quality
    
  • Artificial intelligence for riverine biodiversity mapping
    
  • Big data and citizen science for river-health monitoring
    
  • Unmanned aerial vehicles for floodplain mapping, etc.
    
  
  
• Going forward, the nature and type of technologies are expected to become more sophisticated and effective. The cities must, therefore, be ready to embrace these changes seamlessly.
  

 Environment & Ecology