The Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s report highlighted the poor implementation of the Namami Gange Programme, a pioneering initiative focusing on rejuvenation of the Ganges through infrastructure, biodiversity, and public awareness, in the state of Uttarakhand, citing shortcomings in wastewater management, waste disposal, monitoring mechanisms, and public awareness efforts.
The report submitted to the state assembly on Tuesday said the Ganga State Commission and the State Ganga Cleaning Mission did not plan and implement proper sewage treatment infrastructure in collaboration with local communities. She pointed out that the state government did not contribute resources to improve sanitation facilities in towns located on the Ganges front. The report said that many wastewater treatment plants therefore remained either unconnected or partially connected to household sewerage networks.
The report, based on a review of the flagship program in 2023-2024 covering the period from 2018-2019 to 2022-2023, said that existing water treatment plants lack adequate treatment capacity, resulting in untreated sewage being discharged into the Ganges.
The Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan has refused to take over 18 sewage treatment plants due to deficiencies in their construction and operation, the CAG said. Proper management of sewage sludge has also been neglected, she added.
The Ganga State Commission failed to conduct timely safety audits of STPs, resulting in avoidable loss of human lives and damage to Namami Gange assets, the report said.
The review, which evaluated the field implementation of the program in the state’s Ganges-front towns, highlighted that the State Ganges Crematorium Cleaning Mission remained largely unused due to inadequate public awareness campaigns. He noted the limited progress in forestry interventions under the project. The report indicated that only 16% of the planned expenditures were implemented.
The review found that solid waste management in Ganges cities is inadequate; Garbage is often dumped on river rapids or disposed of by burning instead of being properly treated, resulting in waste flowing back into the river.
The quality of treatment at the treatment plants was poor, with most of the plants failing to comply with National Green Tribunal or Indian government standards, the report said. The water quality of Ganga up to Devprayag has been rated as Class A. In Rishikesh, it remained in Category B from 2019 to 2023, except during the Covid-19 period (2020-21) when it improved to Category A. The quality of river water in Haridwar remained stable at Category B during the review period.
Category A and Category B represent the standards specified by the Central Pollution Control Board for surface water quality. Class A water is considered suitable for use as a drinking water source without conventional treatment, but after disinfection.
The report noted that the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board failed to obtain accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories for its laboratory that monitors the quality of Ganges river water and effluents discharged from wastewater treatment plants.
The audit found that the implementing agency relaxed stringent tertiary processing norms set by the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee during the bidding process. The faecal coliform standard of zero MPN per 100 ml has been relaxed to 100 MPN per 100 ml, the desired limit under National Green Tribunal standards, she said. As a result, contracts to build and upgrade sewage plants were awarded on the basis of relaxed criteria.
The review covered 42 projects, including 25 sanitation management projects, 15 riverbank development and ghat cleaning projects, one afforestation project, and another aimed at combating industrial pollution.
