Ganga much cleaner today due to PM's Namami Gange program, says UP CM Yogi Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that river Ganga was much cleaner today due to the Namami Gange program. He was visiting the Ganga Barrage in Kanpur.

Namami Gange Programme is a flagship program approved by the Union Government in June 2014 with a budget outlay of Rs 20,000 crore to accomplish the objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation, and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.

"The Namami Gange program was started and given momentum by Prime Minister Narendra Modiji to clean the river Ganga which is considered equivalent to a mother in India. I thank Narendra Modiji for starting this movement in the country which has led to a much cleaner river, the fish have started being found again in the dead zones here," Adityanath told a news agency.

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CM Adityanath added that the closure of sewers and drains, which used to add pollutants in the rivers, was making a remarkable difference in the water body's condition.

The Sisamau nullah which used to discharge 140 megaliters per day (MLD) of sewage waste in Ganga has been tapped by the officials and the waste has now been diverted to Jajamu and Bingawan treatment plants. 

"Today we are standing near the Sisamau sewer, which once was the biggest sewer drain in the whole of Asia and the whole waste of Kanpur used to fall into the river. The whole river used to become black beyond this point due to the sewage but now the situation is much better," said Adityanath.

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"Dozens of such sewers have been taped off leading to a much better condition of the river in Uttar Pradesh and the lower areas to which it flows," Adityanath added. 

While flagging off the Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra, CM Yogi Adityanath said that to give strength to the PM Modi’s efforts for the program, more than 1.30 crore saplings were planted and over 1,627 villages situated on the banks of river Ganga have been made open-defecation free.

He also added that the state government has taken serious steps to stop effluents of various tanneries, drains, etc. from flowing into the Ganga river. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is presumably going to visit the Kanpur city to review the Namami Gange Mission on December 14. 

(With inputs from ANI)

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