‘Namami Gange’, $4bn project for cleaning 2500km-long river reaches Western world

STOCKHOLM: Aiming to get better ideas for its rejuvenation and showcase to the Western World the importance being accorded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream project of cleaning and rejuvenating Ganga, ‘Namami Gange’ put up its presence at Stockholm in Sweden at the World Water Week, one of the biggest events on finding efforts to conserve and manage water contamination across the globe. Namami Gange put up a big stall which is attracting a lot of water experts from across the world, from both developed and the developing countries.

Apart from being a sacred water body, Ganga is also lifeline for millions of people and the farmers across the states but the solid and municipal waste was making it one of the dirtiest water bodies in India. Going by it cleaning and rejuvenating Ganga was direly felt. The efforts though were put in place in late 1980s itself, but it is only now that the results have started showing up, feel the persons associated with rejuvenation of Ganga.

“It is heartening to see how such a large water body which was highly dirty is being cleaned and rejuvenated. It is interesting to see how all this happening and such a polluted water body is being refurbished”, said Sweden-based researcher Lewis Perry.

“Working on such a big water body that too when it is highly polluted must be a challenging task and we want to learn from it”, said Berlin based water activist Martin Crowe. I feel to study in detail how the Indian government is making it happen as during a visit to India in 2016 I had heard that Ganga is very dirty and polluted river.

“Ganga covers 26% of India’s total landmass, contributes 28% India’s water resources, 43% population depends on its water with 2525 kilometre length out of which 1,000 kilometres in Uttar Pradesh. Taking up its rejuvenation was a herculean task but the determination is making it happen”, National mission for clean Ganga director general(NMCG) Rajiv Ranjan Mishra told Times of India in Stockholm on Tuesday.

The delegations from Canada, UK, South Africa, Swedn and many countries evinced keen interest in engaging with the Ganga rejuvenation project and learn how project of massive scale involving over Rs. 28,450 crore water body cleaning mission is taking shape.

Darryl Day, managing director ICE Warm international centre of excellence in water resources management, which is Australian government initiative, appreciating the Ganga rejuvenation project said that it is an eye opener and we will be happy to work with this project.

Mishra told that as the World Water Week conference by Sweden is considered as one of the biggest event across the world where new technologies are showcased and shared for making the water bodies to be contamination free and to find ways to ensure judicious use of water. Going by it we preferred to make our presence felt not only to showcase the worth of the project but to get new technology to further integrate the project”.

NMCG executive director(Projects) Ashok Kumar said that through Namami Gange the unthinkable is being done. The clean of Ganga which people were claiming to be like an impossible project has already taken shape and in next three years the water quality will be clean which the Gange has already showcased at Kumbh at Prayagraj.