12th Empowered Task Force Meeting on Ganga Rejuvenation Focuses on Conservation, Natural Farming

The meeting also explored the spiritual and economic significance of the Ganga, with Paatil underscoring the potential of tourism along the riverbanks to boost the local economy.

The 12th meeting of the Empowered Task Force (ETF) on Ganga Rejuvenation was chaired by Minister of Jal Shakti, Sh. C. R. Paatil, alongside MoS, Dr. Raj Bhushan Choudhary, and attended by senior officials from various ministries and state governments. These included representatives from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, among others.

Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Sh. Rajeev Kumar Mital, presented a detailed update on the progress made since the last meeting, focusing on key issues under the Namami Gange Program. Discussions highlighted the reuse of treated water, biodiversity conservation, pollution remediation, and the River Action Plan, along with the promotion of natural farming.

Minister Paatil stressed the need for timely project completion, urging state governments to submit detailed project reports (DPRs) for polluted river stretches and ensure the verification of villages as ODF (Open Defecation Free) Plus. He also emphasized mapping drainage systems in villages and ensuring proper operations and maintenance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) through real-time monitoring systems.

The meeting also explored the spiritual and economic significance of the Ganga, with Paatil underscoring the potential of tourism along the riverbanks to boost the local economy. He called for the integration of Urban River Management Plans to improve the health of rivers in cities and praised the development of the River City Alliance (RCA) for resolving river-related issues through collaboration.

Highlighting innovative initiatives, Paatil discussed the Smart Lab for Clean Rivers, a project in collaboration with Danish partners and IIT (BHU), aimed at enhancing small river rejuvenation efforts. He also stressed the importance of natural farming along the Ganga basin, a practice supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, which will collaborate with the NMCG to promote eco-friendly agricultural practices that benefit river conservation.

As part of institutional development, a Clean Ganga Workshop will be jointly conducted by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation and the NMCG to raise awareness among District Ganga Committees (DGCs) about the ongoing initiatives.

Minister Paatil concluded the session by reiterating the importance of collective efforts among stakeholders to achieve the Prime Minister’s vision for Ganga rejuvenation and make the river conservation model a benchmark for others to follow.