Centre should have direct control over Ganga projects, Times of India, Jun 5, 2014

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TNN | Jun 5, 2014, 11.22 PM IST.

·       An expert member of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) and environment scientist at Banaras Hindu University Prof BD Tripathi suggests the direct control of the central government over the implementation of projects related to Ganga instead of leaving it on state governments. He is also not in favour of linking other rivers to Ganga just to increase its flow.

·       "The Ganga was declared National River in 2008, but it is still under the control of five states only -Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Each state has its own regulations for the consumption and management of river water, hence the central government is not able to implement required projects for conservation," he said adding a new regulation or Act is required to put Ganga under the control of the central government. In order to implement the projects effectively an efficient monitoring committee consisting of experts from different fields should be constituted for regular monitoring. "The commitment of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Ganga is appreciable, but before execution of any new programme for the holy river all aspects should be kept in mind," he said. Continuous decrease in the flow of water for years has induced fragmentation of the river and it has imposed a serious problem to the nation and threatened the lives of 450 million people. Decrease in the velocity and quantity of Ganga water has adversely affected its dilution factor rather self-purifying capacity. The Ganga is a multi-ecosystem problem, hence only holistic approach can save the river, he added. "It would not be a wise decision to link Ganga with any other river just to increase its flow because it will kill the very essence of Ganga water for which the river is known. There should be a considerable amount of water coming from Gomukh," he said. According to him, present technologies used for the generation of hydropower in Uttarakhand are not eco friendly and destructive at ecosystem level. Uttarakhand is under low pressure zone having high wind velocity, hence wind power mills may be the best option for power generation. The construction of big dams on main streams of Ganga is reducing the flow of Ganga water and changing its natural quality. A number of small dams may be constructed on the side streams and used for power generation. Extraction and diversion of huge quantity of Ganga water should be minimized, and encroachment of its land should be stopped immediately. The existing sewage treatment plants are not appropriate, hence they should be renovated as per requirement. Besides, imported technologies for the pollution control or wastewater treatment must be tested under Indian condition