Parliament Question: Gaps in Sewage Treatment, Industrial Pollution Management and Flood Protection

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 213 ANSWERED ON 29.01.2026 GAPS IN SEWAGE TREATMENT, INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION MANAGEMENT AND FLOOD PROTECTION †213. SHRI DARSHAN SINGH CHOUDHARY: SHRI MANISH JAISWAL: SHRI JAGDAMBIKA PAL: SHRI RAHUL SINGH LODHI: Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) the measures being taken by the Government to address the existing gaps in sewage treatment, industrial pollution management and floodplain protection; (b) the names of the States that have shown significant progress in reducing polluted river stretches or in enhancing wastewater reuse; (c) the mechanism adopted by the Government to ensure regular monitoring and inter-State coordination for achieving a pollution-free and resilient river ecosystem; (d) the details of convergence with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to promote water conservation; (e) the progress made in Uttar Pradesh, particularly in Siddharthnagar district; and (f) the details of proposed convergence under the new Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Framework? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY) (a) Cleaning and rejuvenation of rivers is a continuous process. It is the primary responsibility of the States/Union Territories (UTs), local bodies and industrial units to ensure proper treatment of sewage and industrial effluents to prescribed norms before discharge into rivers, other water bodies, coastal waters or land. To meet the gap in sewage treatment, the Ministry of Jal Shakti provides financial and technical assistance to States/UTs through the Central Sector Scheme of Namami Gange for river Ganga and its tributaries and the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) for Other River Basins. Apart from this, sewerage infrastructure is created under programs like Atal Mission for Rejuvenation & Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities Mission of Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs. 1The discharge of industrial effluents is monitored by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the respective State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) / Pollution Control Committees (PCCs) under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and punitive action is taken against violators. States/UTs/Local Bodies and industrial units are required to install sewage and effluent treatment plants and to comply with the prescribed discharge standards. In addition, industries are encouraged to minimize wastewater generation through technological upgradation, reuse and recycling of wastewater, and to maintain Zero Liquid Discharge, wherever feasible. As per CPCB, there are total of 4498 Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs), out of which, 3637 number of industries are operational and 861 industries have been closed down on their own. Amongst the operational industries, 3036 industries are reported to be complying with the environmental standards, while show-cause notices issued to 571 industries, closure directions issued to 29 non complying industries and direction issued to one unit. The Ministry of Jal Shakti has issued Technical Guidelines on Flood Plain Zoning to States/UTs for regulating developmental activities in flood-prone areas and mitigating associated risks. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has developed Urban River Management Plans in coordination with National Institute of Urban Affairs which integrate river sensitive planning into statutory master plans. (b) CPCB, based on pollution assessment of rivers in the country, identifies State and River wise Polluted River Stretches from time to time. These stretches are categorized under Priority I to V depending upon severity of pollution (in terms of values of Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand) in descending order. CPCB has published reports on Polluted River Stretches for Restoration of Water Quality in the years 2018, 2022 & 2025. As per the latest report of CPCB published in October, 2025 on 'Polluted River Stretches for Restoration of Water Quality' reveals that total number of Polluted River Stretches (PRSs) has decreased from 351 in 2018 to 296 in 2025. The report further shows that 149 PRS in 22 States/UTs have been delisted and 71 PRSs located in 20 States/UTs have shown improvement in river water quality between 2018 and 2025. States/UTs showing improvement in pollution levels of some of the river stretches as given in the reports of 2018 and 2025 include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Himachal, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. NMCG has developed a National Framework for Reuse of Treated Waste Water that provides guidance to States in developing the State policies on reuse of treated waste water. Some of the notable examples of reuse of water are from States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Haryana and Tamil Nadu. 2(c) CPCB, through its National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWQMP), regularly monitors the quality of water in the rivers. CPCB has issued directions to all the GPIs to install Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring System (OCEMS) with real time data connectivity to CPCB/ SPCBs for self monitoring. This mechanism is applicable for all over the country. Government through its legal & regulatory framework, basin-wise approach, pollution control systems & their funding etc., ensures inter- state coordination. For achieving the pollution free and resilient river ecosystem, River Rejuvenation Committee have been constituted in States. Further Department of Water Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation(DoWR,RD&GR) under Ministry of JalShakti monitors and reviews with State Governments through Central Monitoring Committee Meetings(CMC) under Chairmanship of Secretary ,DoWR,RD&GR . Till now 20 CMC meetings have been conducted so far . (d) to (f) Water conservation is one of the main component of various flagship schemes/ campaigns of the Government mainly including Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) {previously names as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS)}, Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA:CTR) etc. which are implemented through inter- sectoral convergence to promote water conservation. Under MNREGS, the Government has mandated a minimum 65% of the fund allocation for water conservation, water harvesting & related works in over exploited & critical rural blocks (Dark Zones). As per the Ministry of Rural Development, a total of 7,153 works, including water conservation and rainwater harvesting, renovation of traditional and other water bodies/tanks, reuse and recharge structures, watershed development, and intensive afforestation, were completed in Siddharthnagar, Uttar Pradesh, during the period from 02.03.2025 to 30.11.2025. VB-G RAM G scheme ingrains systematic convergence of rural development scheme and public works programe which aims to replace fragmented planning with an integrated model. This is meant to ensure efficient use of resources, avoid duplication and align job creation with broader infrastructure goals. ***** 3