New Delhi: The Union Government with the assistance of World Bank is all set to roll out second National Ganga river basin project (Ganga-II) under National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to clean the tributaries of River Ganga from Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal.
While the Ganga-I project focused on the main stem of River Ganga, the Jal Shakti Ministry with its NMCG had decided to go ahead with cleaning the tributaries of River Ganga with Ganga-II project.
The NMCG has proposed Rs. 3023.10 crores before the department of Economic Affairs (DEA), Finance Ministry according to the documents available with the ETV Bharat.
The DEA approved the same and it was forwarded to World Bank. Senior officials with the NMCG and WB had discussed on the issue and world bank agreed to release loan assistance for the period five years from December 2021 to December 2026.
The World Bank has agreed to lend the proposed amount of Rs.3000 crores for developing infrastructure and cleaning the tributaries of Ganga. The second phase will focus on cleaning the tributaries of Ganga including Yamuna and Kali rivers. Also, these funds will be used for completing the spillover projects of phase-I.
"The funds will also be used for the already approved 378 MLD STP for a distance of 911 kilometres under the network of Ganga under Ganga –I," the document reveals.
482 MLD Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) will be created under the Ganga –II project.
The loan amount to the tune of Rs. 1,134 crore will be used for three hybrid annuity projects in Agra, Meerut, and Saharanpur for the tributaries of Ganga.
Also, the phase – II will cover Rs. 1, 209 crores for Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) works in Buxar, Munger and Begusarai.
Under Ganga –II, Rs. 536 crore will be split into four different works.
"About Rs. 151 will be spent for Institutional development of River Ganga. Also, to improve investments resilience to COVID-19 like emergency situations, about Rs. 38 crores will be used. Urban local bodies will receive Rs. 226 crores as performance-based incentives and Rs. 121 crores for program communication and management," the Ganga-II plan document reads.
Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) projects will also be implemented in Digha, Kankarbagh in Patna (Bihar) and Hawarah, Bally and Baranagar in West Bengal after implementing phase one of Ganga project which will end by December 2021.
It is noted Rs. 4,345 crores were allotted for Ganga –I project for infrastructural projects for pollution abatement in Ganga River.
With the fund, Sewage Treatment Facilities were set up in 20 towns where Ganga is flowing in the central and eastern India. The sewage network has been built for 3,589 kilometres and 789 MLD of STP was created under Ganga – I project.
