Ganga Action Plan with reference Fisheries

1. FRM601
ICAR
GANGA ACTON PLAN
(GAP)
PRESENTED BY:
Bhukya Bhaskar
FRM

2. Introduction
2
Ganga Basin cover 26.3 % of the
country’s total geographical area
and 28% of India’s water
resources & 43% of total
population resides in Ganga
Basin.
The Ganges River originates in
the Himalaya Mountains at
Gomukh, the terminus of the
Gongotri Glacier.
When the ice of this glacier melts,
it forms the clear waters of the
Bhagirathi River. As the
Bhagirathi River flows down the
Himalayas, it joins the Alaknanda
River, officially forming the
Ganges River.

3. Location & Climate of River Ganga Basin
• The basin lies between East longitudes 73°02’
and 89°05’ and North latitudes of 21°06’ and
31°21’, covering an area of 1,086,000 sq km,
extending over India, Nepal and Bangladesh.
• About 79% area of Ganga basin is in India
• The basin covers 11 states
• Current focus of world bank funded National
Ganga River Basin Projects (NGRBP) of NMCG is
on five major states on the main stem of river
Ganga namely Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,
Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal.
States
Drainage
area(km)
Uttarakhand and
Uttar Pradesh
294,364
Madhya Pradesh
and Chhattisgarh
198,962
Bihar and
Jharkhand
143,961
Rajasthan 112,490
West Bengal 71,485
Haryana 34,341
Himachal Pradesh 4,317
Delhi 1,484
Total 861,404
★ Climate : The annual average rainfall in
the basin range b/n 39 cm to 200 cm, with
an average of 110 cm. 80%of the rainfall
occurs during the monsoon months i.e.
from June to October.

4. The Extent Area covered by River Ganga
Upper Ganga Gomukh to Haridwar (294 km)
Headstreams are fast-flowing mountainous rivers cutting through deep gorges and
narrow valleys
Middle Ganga Haridwar to Varanasi (1082 km)
Middle Ganga stretch meanders through
relatively flat plains
Lower Ganga Varanasi to Gangasagar (1134 km)
Lower Ganga segment tends to be braided, especially in the delta region
near the Bay of Bengal where sea tides affect the river flow.
Place Confluence
Devprayag Bhagirathi + Alaknanda
Rudraprayag Mandakini + Alaknanda
Karnaprayag Pindar + Alaknanda
Vishnuprayag Dhauliganga + Alaknanda
source:neostencil.com/ganga-

5. What is Importance of Ganga River Basin?
From Haridwar, it flows first to the south, then to the
south-east and east before splitting into two
distributaries, namely the Bhagirathi and the Hugli.
The river has a length of 2,525 km. It is shared by
Uttarakhand (110 km) and Uttar Pradesh (1,450 km),
Bihar (445 km) and West Bengal (520 km). The
Ganga basin covers about 8.6 lakh sq. km area in
India alone.
National River of India (declared in 2008)
• Geographical coverage – 26% of India’s land mass (it is the
largest )
• Most populated basin – hosts 43% of India’s population

6. Cont..
• Total surface and groundwater storage in Ganga basin is
largest – groundwater share is 64%
• Nearly 40% of India’s total estimated replenishable
ground water resources comes from Ganga Basin.
• 38% of India’s total estimated utilizable water comes
from Ganga Basin and highest amongst all.
• Population density-average 401 people/ Km2
• Second highest average annual surface water potential –
28% of India’s total and second only to combined
potential of Brahmaputra, Barack & others.

7. • 10% of the high biodiversity areas fall alongside national parks and
sanctuaries such as Rajaji national park in Uttarakhand, Hastinapur
wildlife sanctuary in UP and Vikramshila gangetic Dolphin sanctuary
in Bihar,”
• The high biodiversity stretches have been divided into six zones –
• 1)Devprayag to Rishikesh (61 km),
• 2) Makdumpur to Narora (147 km),
• 3)Bhitaura to Ghazipur (454 km)
• ,4)Chhapra to Kahalgaon (296 km),
• 5) Sahibganj to Rajmahal (34 km) and
• 6) Baharampur to Barackpore (246 km).
Biodiversity in the Himalayan Ganges

8. Priority Species of Ganga
Mammals Birds Reptiles Amphibians Fishes
Ganges River
Dolphin
Black-bellied
Tern
Marsh crocodile Cascade Frog Wallago
Smooth-coated otter Sarus Crane Salt-water crocodile Marbled Toad
Golden
Mahaseer
Small-clawed Otter Indian Skimmer Gharial Jerdon's Bullfrog Spotted barb
Eurasian Otter River Tern
Red-crowned roofed
turtle
Indian Bullfrog
Bronze
featherback
River Lapwing River terrapin Annandale's Paa Frog Bata
Three-striped roofed
turtle
Dudhwa Reed Frog
Ganges soft-shell turtle Tytler’s Pond Frog
Peacock soft-shell turtle Nepal Paa Frog
Black Spotted Turtle
Indian Tent turtle

9. Fin Fish Diversity
• Within the Ganga River system, 143
different freshwater fish species,
belonging to 11 orders, 32 families and
72 genera have been reported including
• The Critically Endangered Ganges shark
(Glyphis gangeticus), Gangetic stingray
(Himantura fluviatilis), Golden mahseer
(Tor putitora) and Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha).

10. Ancient scriptures had cautioned against
misusing the Ganga river.
 Ancient scriptures had cautioned against misusing
the Ganga river. For instance, the following edict
in Sanskrit prohibited thirteen types of human
actions:
 1. Defecation, 2. Gargling, 3. Throwing of used
floral offerings, 4. Rubbing of filth,
5. Flowing bodies (human or animal), 6. Frolicking;
7. Acceptance of donations; 8. Obscenity;
9. Considering other shrines to be superior,
10. Praising other shrines, 11. Discarding
garments; 12. Bathing, and 13. Making noise. 10

11. Ganga, has been enlisted on the list of
10 most endangered rivers of the world.
• Ganga, has been enlisted
on the list of 10 most
endangered rivers of the
world.
• The amount of toxins,
chemicals and other
dangerous bacteria found
in the river are now almost
3000 times over the limit
suggested by the WHO as
'safe‘

12. Pollution Threat
• In the Ganga basin approximately 12,000 million litres per day (mld)
sewage is generated, for which presently there is a treatment
capacity of only around 4,000 mld.
• Approximately 3000 mld of sewage is discharged into the main stem
of the river Ganga from the Class I & II towns located along the
banks, against which treatment capacity of about 1000 mld has
been created till date.
• The contribution of industrial pollution, volume-wise, is about 20
per cent but due to its toxic and non- biodegradable nature, this has
much greater significance.
• Industrial pockets in the catchments of Ramganga and Kali rivers
and in Kanpur city are significant sources of industrial pollution.
• The major contributors are tanneries in Kanpur, distilleries, paper
mills and sugar mills in the Kosi, Ramganga and Kali river
catchments.

13. Source of Pollution in The River Ganga

14. Deforestation/ Denudation Activities Agricultural & Other Rural
Activities
• Loss of vegetal cover due to deforestation,
overgrazing, etc. resulting in rapid surface runoff;
• increased runoff and soil erosion, with eroded soil
eventually depositing in water courses and water
bodies, and
• Changes in geo-morphological parameters
governing the region’s water resources due to
land-use changes.
Discharge of agricultural and
rural wastes (including
chemical fertilizers and
pesticides) into the aquatic
environment.
 Industrialization
 Over-withdrawal of fresh water from
surface and ground water sources.
 Discharge and dumping of industrial
wastes and leakage of industrial
pollutants into the aquatic
environment.
Urbanization
• Discharge of urban wastes and pollutants
(including eroded soils and construction
debris) into water courses/ bodies;
• Reduction of surface water and ground
water recharges.
• Changes in geomorphological parameters
governing water resources due to land-use
changes.

16. T H E P Y R E S O F V A R A N A S I :
• It's estimated that 32,000
bodies are cremated every
year at two sites in Varanasi
- Manikarnina and
Harishchandra.
• The corpses of the poor and
homeless, who cannot
afford a proper cremation,
are dumped in the river too.

18. G A N G A A C T I O N P L A N
• To prevent the pollution of river Ganga
and to improve its water quality, an
Action Plan known as Ganga Action
Plan was formulated in the year 1984
on the basis of a comprehensive
survey of the Ganga Basin carried out
by the Central Pollution Control Board
under ADSORB (Assessment and
Development Study of River Basin
Series).
• Works were also undertaken to
prevent pollution of the river from non-
point sources, improving aesthetics,
and promoting public participation
The Ganga Action Plan was,
launched on 14 Jan. 1986 by the
then Prime Minister of India Shri
Rajeev Gandhi, with the main
objective of pollution abatement of
the river Ganga, to improve the
water quality by interception,
diversion and treatment of domestic
sewage, and to identify grossly
polluting units to prevent their toxic
and industrial chemical wastes from
entering the river . Today, the
Ganges is considered to be the
fifth-most polluted river in the
world

19. Objective of GAP
Main objective
1. Pollution abatement, to improve the water quality by Interception, Diversion
and treatment of domestic sewage and present toxic and industrial chemical
wastes from identified grossly polluting units entering in to the river.
Other objectives
2. Control of non-point pollution from agricultural run off, human defecation,
cattle wallowing and throwing of unburnt and half burnt bodies into the river.
3. Research and Development to conserve the biotic, diversity of the river to
augment its productivity.
4. New technology of sewage treatment like Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket
(UASB) and sewage treatment through afforestation has been successfully
developed.
5. Rehabilitation of soft-shelled turtles for pollution abatement of river.

20. 6. Resource recovery options like production of
methane for energy generation and use of
aquaculture for revenue generation.
7. To act as trend setter for taking up similar action
plans in other grossly polluted stretches in other
rivers.
8. To have an approach of integrated river basin
management considering the various dynamic
interactions between abiotic and biotic eco-system.

21. Objective of phase 1
• At the time of launching, the main
objective of GAP was to improve the
water quality of Ganga to acceptable
standards by preventing the pollution
load reaching the river.
• However, as decided in a meeting of
the Monitoring Committee in June, 1987
under the Chairmanship of Prof. M. G.
K. Menon, then Member, Planning
Commission, the objective of GAP was
recast as restoring the river water
quality to the 'Bathing Class' standard
which is as follows:
'Bathing Class'
standard
Bio-Chemical
Oxygen
Demand
(BOD)
3 mg/l
maximum
Dissolved
Oxygen (DO)
5 mg/l
minimum
Total
Coliform
10,000 per
100 ml
Faecal
Coliform
25,00 per
100 ml

23. Ganga Action Plan Phase-II
 Since GAP-I did not cover the pollution load of Ganga fully; the
Ganga Action Plan Phase-II (GAP-II) was launched in stages
between 1993 and 1996.
 Yamuna and Gomati Action Plans were approved in April 1993
under Ganga Action Plan Phase - II.
 Covers pollution abatement works in 95 towns in 7 states along
the polluted stretches of 4 rivers.
 The total approved cost of the action plan is Rs. 1498.86 crore,
which was initially approved on 50:50 cost sharing basis
between the Central and State governments.
 After April 1997 Central Government took the full responsibility
of this project & sanctioned the total cost Under Ganga Action
Plan.
 The funding pattern was changed to 70:30 between centre and
state subsequently.

24. OPERATIONAL PROFILE
• The Ganga action plan (GAP) aimed to tackle 2794 mld of
sewage; 882 under GAP-I and 1921 mld under GAP-II
• To achieve the objective of pollution abatement, the
government took up Core and Non- Core schemes.
• Core schemes
 Interception and diversion (I&D) of sewage, reaching the
Ganga river.
 Installing treatment facilities to treat the intercepted sewage.
• Non- Core schemes
 Providing facilities of Low Cost Sanitation (LCS) at
community and individual levels at identified locations.
 Installation of Crematoria (electric as well as wood based
improved crematoria ).
 River Front Development (RFD) including bathing ghats.
 Afforestation Public awareness and participation.

25. FINANCIAL PROFILE
Approval outlays for GAP-I & GAP-II were Rs
462.04 crore and Rs 1276.25 crore respectively.
 The central government was to bear entire
expenditure on scheme under GAP-I, and to
share it equally with the states in GAP-II.
The government of India decided in Nov 1998 to
bear entire expenditure on scheme from April
1997.

26. LIMITATION OF GAP
• Only a part of the pollution load of the river could be tackled.
(As only the wastewater of towns flowing through the drains to the
river was targeted. Connections of household toilets to the sewer
system, solid waste management, and some other vital aspects of
municipal activities, which impinge on the water quality were not
addressed.)
• The issue of ensuring environmental flows in the river was not
attended to. This has become increasingly important in view of the
competing demands on the Ganga water for drinking, irrigation and
power generation. Adopting more efficient water conservation
practices could have reduced the need for abstraction of water from
Ganga.
• Tree cover in the Ganga basin has reduced considerably and land use
pattern has changed leading to soil erosion. Sediment yield and its
deposit on the river bed were also not monitored.

27. • Pollution load from non-point sources was addressed marginally
• No attention was paid to run-off from agricultural fields, which brings non-
biodegradable pesticides into the river.
• Measures necessary for the prevention of pollution of the river water
while planning new settlements or expansion of the present ones were
not considered.
• Watershed development as well as groundwater and surface water
interaction were not covered.
• Only Class-I towns on the banks of rivers were taken up. Thus a large
number of urban settlements remained outside the purview of the Plan.
• Pollution from rural sector was not addressed.
• Several parameters such as heavy metals, pesticides, nitrogen and
phosphorous were not monitored. These parameters have become
important with increased industrialization and urbanization.

28. Local farmers being
trained to protect turtle
nests in Hastinapur
• To address this ‘necrotic pollution’, a 30-
million dollar restoration project involved
rearing and stocking the rivers with
the Ganges soft-shelled turtle, Nilssonia
gangetica and three-striped roofed turtle,
Batagur dhongoka.
• The turtles were raised to eat dead flesh in
hopes to aid the decomposition of corpses.
• It Is reported that ten turtles could
consume a human body in 2-days. 25,000
turtles were released over a ten-year
period.

29. The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG
 The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is the implementation wing of
National Ganga Council which was set up in October 2016 under the River
Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities order 2016. The
order dissolved National Ganga River Basin Authority.
 The aims and objectives of NMCG is to accomplish the mandate of National
Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) :
 To ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by
adopting a river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral co-ordination for
comprehensive planning and management.
 To maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of
ensuring water quality and environmentally sustainable development.
 The Vision for Ganga Rejuvenation constitutes restoring the wholesomeness of
the river defined in terms of ensuring “Aviral Dhara” (Continuous Flow”),
“Nirmal Dhara”(“Unpolluted Flow”), Geologic and ecological integrity.

32. Namami Gange Programme’, is an Integrated Conservation
Mission, approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union
Government in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000
Crore
Twin objectives :
•Effective abatement of pollution
•Conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
The key achievements under Namami Gange programme are:-
• Creating Sewerage Treatment Capacity
• Creating River-Front Development:River-Front Development projects, Renovation
of Ghats and crematoria has been initiated.
• River Surface Cleaning:-River Surface cleaning for collection of floating solid waste
from the surface of the Ghats and River and its disposal are afoot and pushed into
service
• Bio-Diversity Conservation:- Several Bio-Diversity conservation projects are
namely: Biodiversity Conservation and Ganga Rejuvenation, Fish and Fishery
Conservation in Ganga River, Ganges River Dolphin Conservation Education
Programme has been initiated.

33.  Afforestation:- Forestry interventions for Ganga through Wildlife
Institute of India; Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute and
Centre for Environment Education has been initiated.
 Public Awareness:- A series of activities such as events,
workshops, seminars and conferences and numerous IEC activities
were organized to make a strong pitch for public outreach and
community participation in the programme.Gange Theme song was
released widely and played on digital media to enhance the visibility
of the programme. NMCG ensured presence at Social Media
platforms like Facebook, Twitter, You Tube etc.
 Industrial Effluent Monitoring:- Real Time Effluent Monitoring
Stations (EMS) in Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs).
 Ganga Gram:- Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS)

34.  National Mission for Clean Ganga, endeavors to deploy best available
knowledge and resources across the world for Ganga rejuvenation.
 Clean Ganga has been a perennial attraction for many international
countries that have expertise in river rejuvenation. Countries such as
Australia, United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Israel etc. have shown
interest in collaborating with India for Ganga rejuvenation.
 MoUs were signed with various Central Ministries viz.- Ministry of Human
Resource Development, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of
Railways, Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Ayush,
Ministry of Petroleum, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of
Drinking Water & Sanitation and Ministry of Agriculture for synergizing the
Government schemes.

35. Gaps of GAP

36. • Reutilization, Recycling, Renovation and recharge of
the industrial Effluent should be done.
• Sulabh Shauchalay -Public urinals and lavatories
should be constructed near all the bathing ghats.
• Electric crematorium for burning of dead bodies. there
should be provision of waste water treatment plants
[WWTP] to avoid pollution and eutrophication.
• Chemical and biological treatment of sludge before
final disposal into rivers.
• Garbage collection system & disposal arrangement
should be provided

37. • Adequate scientific methods should be developed so as
to determine the pollution levels at source
• All the toxic metallic elements like chromium coming
from the tanneries & other industries should be
chemically treated before such wastes are released into
water.
• Stringent Government policy and monitoring for effluent
discharge from industries into the Ganga river of Kanpur.
• Promotion of effective and efficient implementation of
water pollution control laws and regulations.
• Community management

43. Flood Plain P
•Flood plains-integ
river ecology an
important for health
•NMCG ‘Autho
mandates protecti
and keeping the
construction free.
•Committee f
demarcation for Ga
to Unnao (no d
regulatory zone).
•States requested
demarcation of
protection thereof.

45. Biodiversity Conservation and Ganga
Rejuvenation
• Dedicated project with WII
• Ganga Aqua life Conservation and Monitoring Centre (GACMC)
• Ecological and Hydrological Surveys
• Genetic Assessment of Indicator Species
• The Eco-toxicological Assessment
• Spearhead teams for Capacity Building
• Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre
• A Cadre of Ganga Praharis
• Interpretation Centre and Floating Museums
• CIFRI, WWF, IUCN, States, TSA….Community
• Extending it to other tributaries of Basin

46. • Sustainable Agriculture in Ganga
Basin
• Agricultural runoff a major non-
point source of pollution.
• Organic Farming taken up by
MoA &FW in few clusters.
• Riverbed Agriculture should be
only Organic.
• 85% of water utilization is for
agriculture and efficient use of
water is important for Aviralta.
Integrated projects for Medicinal
Plantation Uttar Pradesh-10
Districts, 180 Gram Panchayats,
60 Clusters and
2500 Ha.
800 Ha corridor of Medicinal
Plantation along Ganga (NMPB)
Special organic farming in 5- 7
Kms stretch along both sides
of
Ganga
Demand side management of water to
increase water inefficiency for reducing
abstraction of water from
Rudraksh plantation in
Uttarakhan d with INTACH
Ecosystem approach to Agriculture

47. • Small River Rejuvenation in Ganga basin
• A GIS based inventory of small rivers has been
created along with district wise list of small rivers
• Initiative added under MGNREGA for Atmanirbhar
Bharat Abhiyan
• People River Connect
• River rejuvenation is a collaborative and an
adaptive process
• Prioritize River Conservation in education and
related IEC activities in Schools and Colleges
• Community engagement, linking livelihood and
conservation

51. Sewerage Infrastructure Projects
Sisama Nala, Kanpur
Kassawan Nala, Haridwar

52. Newly Completed Projects
Sarai – 14 MLD, Haridwar
68 MLD Jagjeetpur –
STP, Haridwar
Beur STP, Patna
5 MLD Chorpani Muni
Ki Reti

53. Namami Gange
Initiatives Reuse and
Recycle Waste water
and By Products
Treated wastewater reuse
in Agriculture and
Horticulture
Treated wastewater reuse in
Industrial Areas
Treated wastewater
reuse in Thermal Plants
Reuse of sludge
after waste water
treatment

56. Rural Sanitation
• NMCG supplementing efforts
of Department of Drinking
Water & Sanitation in
ensuring sanitation in Ganga
villages.
• All 4465 Ganga bank villages
declared ODF - 11 lakh
Independent Household
Latrines (IHHL)- (Rs 829cr)
• Need based Liquid Waste
Management in Ganga villages
- Rs. 124 cr, released
• Future Activities in SBM
(Grameen) 2.0

57. Conclusion & Recommendations
• The river water quality has improved at many locations despite significantly
increased demographic and other pressures.
• Lack of experience both at the central and the state levels.
• Land acquisition for major schemes of sewage treatment and pumping
stations.
• River dynamics
• Adoption of unscientific and arbitrary effluent standards
• Complete bureaucratic exercise, top-down, end of the pipe interventions.
• Namami Gange means obeisance to Ganga but there is no point in
attaching religious values to the river Ganga and getting emotional for
her nasty condition due to million litres of waste dumped into her.

58. Way Forward
Evidence based policy making
Engaging communities
Innovative Financing models-Rupee denominated
Ganga/Blue bonds
Global water stewardship
Market based mechanisms: water rights, water
trading will bring about equality and parity in water
sharing and availability.
Water entrepreneurship
Technology development and transfer

59. References
• Pollution of Ganges-Wiki
• NMCG website
• Ganga Vision document 2017
• Ganga Action Plan-MP document
• https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/the-ganga-
river-system-1448442538-1
• https://neostencil.com/ganga-river-system
• Jaiswal, R.K., 2007. Ganga action plan-a critical
analysis. Kanpur: Eco Friends.
• Srivastava, V.K., 2010. Indian Rivers Pollution—Critical
Analysis: Ganga Action Plan. Indian Chemical Engineer, 52(2),
pp.155-156.

60. Acknowledgment to GOI, for supporting Students
B