Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari on Thursday claimed that the river Ganga will be cleaned up fully by March 2020.
Addressing a gathering in New Delhi, Gadkari also said that Ganga will be 70-80 per cent cleaned in the next three months.
He laid the foundation stone of 11 projects for Yamuna rejuvenation under Centre’s Namami Gange programme. Most of the projects focus on the improved sewerage infrastructure at various stages of implementation. Also, new sewer lines will be built under the Yamuna Action Plan III. The existing sewage treatment plants will also be modernized across the three drainage zones of Delhi—Kondli, Rithala and Okhla.
Nitin Gadkari and Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said that by the joint efforts by both the state and Centre, the rising air and river pollution in the capital can be curbed. They also said that the problem can be solved by adopting adequate measures rather without politicizing the issue. Gadkari called for addressing the issues with a scientific approach.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the move a big step towards the cleanliness of Yamuna. He added that it was a crucial step for the federal structure of the country.
Kejriwal also claimed that both– curbing of air pollution and cleaning of Yamuna are the two important agendas of Delhi government. He also urged Delhi’s neighbouring states to take prompt steps to control the stubble burning which is a major cause of air pollution in Delhi.
Adding to this, Gadkari suggested that stubble, instead of being burnt, can be used to generate bio-fuel such as bio-ethanol. Such biofuels help to reduce pollution.
‘Namami Gange Programme’ is a Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government to accomplish the twin objectives of effective curbing of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga. The 11 projects were taken by National Mission for Clean Ganga under the Namami Gange programme to clean up the Yamuna in Delhi.