Parliament Question: Funds spent for the Namami Gange programme

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1060 ANSWERED ON 09.02.2026 FUNDS SPENT FOR THE NAMAMI GANGE PROGRAMME 1060 # SHRI NEERAJ DANGI: Will the Minister of Jal Shakti be pleased to state: (a) the quantum of funds spent so far under the Namami Gange Programme and whether any scientifically validated improvement in the water quality of the river Ganga has been recorded, if so, the details thereof; and (b) the current status of establishment and operation of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) for treatment of industrial effluents and sewage in the river Ganga and its tributaries? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY) (a) Under the Namami Gange Programme, during the period from financial year (FY) 2014–15 to 2025- 26 (up to 27th January 2026), the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has disbursed ₹ 21,024.84 crore to various agencies for the implementation of projects and interventions aimed at rejuvenating the River Ganga and its tributaries. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), carries out manual water quality monitoring of the river Ganga at 112 locations across five Ganga main-stem States- Uttarakhand-19; Uttar Pradesh-41; Bihar-33; Jharkhand-04; and West Bengal-15. As per the CPCB report on Polluted River Stretch (PRS) 2025 following information about Ganga main stem pollution is available: Ganga Main Stem – State-wise Comparison (2018 vs 2025) State 2018 Priority 2025 Polluted Stretch Priority Trend/Observation Polluted (2018) (2025) Stretch Uttarakhand Haridwar IV No PRS — Improved and PRS stretch → removed Sultanpur Uttar Pradesh Kannauj → IV Bijnor → Tarighat IV / V Partially Varanasi improved Bihar Buxar to V Bhagalpur D/S→ V Marginal pollution remains Bhagalpur Khalgaon D/S Jharkhand No PRS — No PRS — — West Bengal Triveni → III Baharampore → V improved Diamond Diamond Harbour Harbour 1Based on the water quality data (median values) of the river Ganga for the year 2025 (January to August), the following observations are made. i. pH & Dissolved Oxygen (DO) are the most critical parameters of river health. The pH & DO of River Ganga meet the required norms for bathing criteria at all the locations of River Ganga. ii. Water quality of river Ganga is conforming with the bathing criteria w.r.t. Bio- chemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) in the entire stretch of river Ganga in Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar & West Bengal, except the following locations/stretches:  Farrukhabad to Purana Rajapur, Kanpur.  Dalmau, Raebareli.  Downstream (d/s) Mirzapur to Tarighat, Ghazipur (except two locations namely upstream (u/s) Varanasi, after confluence of Gomti river & u/s Ghazipur) in Uttar Pradesh. As per the biomonitoring conducted during 2024-25 at 50 locations along river Ganga and its tributaries and 26 locations along River Yamuna and its tributaries, the biological water quality (BWQ) predominantly ranged from ‘Good’ to ‘Moderate’. The presence of diverse benthic macro-invertebrate species indicates the ecological potential of the rivers to sustain aquatic life. (b) Under the Namami Gange Programme for rejuvenation of the river Ganga and its tributaries, three (03) Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) have been sanctioned for industrial pollution abatement, namely Jajmau CETP (20 MLD), Banther CETP (4.5 MLD) and Mathura CETP (6.25 MLD). Out of these, two projects, i.e. Mathura CETP (6.25 MLD) and Jajmau CETP (20 MLD), have been completed. Further, a total of 218 sewerage infrastructure projects has been taken up for the remediation of polluted river stretches, with a treatment capacity of 6,610 million liters per day (MLD). Out of these, 138 projects with a cumulative capacity of 3,977 MLD have been completed and made operational. ***** 2