Parliament Question: Restoration of Major Rivers in Chhattisgarh

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4926 TO BE ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026 Restoration of Major Rivers in Chhattisgarh 4926. SHRI BRIJMOHAN AGRAWAL: Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state: (a) the status of the restoration of major rivers viz. Mahanadi, Shivnath and Kharun, etc.; (b) a detailed roadmap to ensure that these projects do not face further delays, keeping in view the critical pollution levels in rivers, like the Kharun; (c) the details of measures taken by the Government to prevent the discharge of sewage water into rivers in the 16 locations where plants are either under construction or still in the planning phase; (d) the details of current monitoring mechanism to ensure that the treated water meets National Green Tribunal (NGT) mandate of biological and chemical standards before being released back into the rivers, State/UT-wise; and (e) the mechanism adopted by the Government to integrate the NGT’s restoration directives with stricter enforcement on industrial units situated along the banks of the Arpa, Hasdeo and Kelo rivers etc.? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) to (e) Mahanadi River flows through Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Kharun river is a tributary of Shivnath River, which is a tributary of Mahanadi. Under National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP), CPCB identifies Polluted River Stretches (PRS) based on the level of organic matter which is measured in terms of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) concentration. The PRS are classified under Priority Class I to Priority Class V, Priority I being most polluted with BOD value of more than 30 mg/l and Priority V being least polluted with BOD ranging between 3 – 6 mg/l. The latest report titled “Polluted River Stretches for Restoration of Water Quality” is published by CPCB in 2025 based on the water quality data of year 2022 and 2023 and is available on CPCB website at https://cpcb.nic.in/reports-3/. For rejuvenation of Polluted River Stretches (PRS), comprehensive action plans were prepared by River Rejuvenation Committee (RRC) constituted by the respective State Government/ UT Administration, under the overall supervision and coordination of Principal Secretary, Environment of the concerned State/Union Territory for bringing all the polluted river stretches identified by CPCB fit for bathing purposes (i.e. BOD ˂ 3 mg/L and FC ˂ 500 MPN/100 mL). The progress of implementation of action plans is reviewed by the RRCs at State Level and byCentral Monitoring Committee (CMC) constituted at Ministry of Jal Shakti at Central Level. Details of Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) installed by industries in the state of Chhattisgarh is available at https://rtdms.cpcb.gov.in/data. To prevent the discharge of sewage water into rivers, as reported by Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB), there are 24 STPs operational and 16 STPs under construction. Further, it is reported that Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) have been installed in such places where STPs are under construction. Odisha has 12 sewage treatment plants (STPs). All 12 STPs are operational and complying with the prescribed standards. In addition, there are 120 FSTPs in Odisha. The steps taken by the Government for prevention and control of water pollution including strict monitoring are given below:  Regulation of industrial Pollution is enforced through various provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 under Consent mechanism by the respective SPCB / PCC.  The Central and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) / Pollution Control Pollution Committees (PCCS) are implementing the provisions of both the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to prevent and control pollution of aquatic resources.  The Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has notified “Standards for Emission or Discharge of Environmental Pollutants from various Industries” under Schedule-I of the Environment Protection Rules, 1986. The industrial sectors, for which specific standards are not available, general standards as notified under Schedule-VI of the Environment Protection Rules, 1986 are applicable.  The Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) are installed by 17 categories of industries and Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) in the country as per directives issued by CPCB. This initiative provides real-time information on effluent quality, enabling the identification of non-complying units and the implementation of corrective actions.  SPCBs / PCCs have been directed under Section 18(1) (b) of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 to direct concerned agencies in the State/UT to develop infrastructure for sewage treatment.  CPCB is periodically issuing directions to all the concerned departments in the States for management of sewage and waste water in accordance with the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986. For ensuring proper operation of existing STPs, Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) and industrial pollution control, directions are also issued under Section 18 (1) (b) of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 as well as under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.  CPCB has prepared guidelines for conservation and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) in feasible industrial sectors, along with guidelines for the utilization of treated effluent in irrigation. Treated wastewater can be reused in various industrial sectors to reduce dependency on freshwater, which enhances sustainability, and promotes effective water resource management. *******