Why in news
- Delhi High Court directed the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to examine Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for 13 Decentralized Sewage Treatment Plants.
- The review aims to tackle raw sewage flowing into the Yamuna river basin.
What is the National Mission for Clean Ganga?
- Implementation wing of National Ganga Council, registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
- Executes the Namami Gange Program to abate pollution, conserve, and rejuvenate the Ganga river basin and its tributaries like the Yamuna.
Decentralized STPs Mechanism
- Decentralized STPs (DSTPs) treat wastewater close to its source instead of routing it through vast trunk sewer lines.
- Reduces infrastructure cost and prevents un-intercepted drain discharges directly entering urban river reaches.
Why it matters
- Yamuna river clean-up relies on strict enforcement of discharge standards monitored by statutory river basin bodies.
- Highlights inter-agency coordination challenges between state municipal boards (Delhi Jal Board) and central authorities (NMCG).
Key terms
Decentralized Sewage Treatment
Localized collection and treatment of wastewater near the point of generation rather than transporting it to centralized plants.
Namami Gange
An Integrated Conservation Mission approved as a Flagship Program by the Union Government to rejuvenate River Ganga and tributaries.
Prelims facts
- NMCG functions under the Ministry of Jal Shakti as the implementation arm of the National Ganga Council.
Mains discussion
- Discuss the structural challenges in tackling urban river pollution through centralized vs decentralized sewage infrastructure.
Source: The Hindu
Same topic · past papers
UPSC has asked this before
These previous-year questions sit on the same topic. Open one to practise the earlier ask.
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2015 · Q15 · GS III · 12 marks
Discuss the Namami Gange and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) programmes and causes of mixed results from the previous schemes. What quantum leaps can help preserve the river Ganga better than incremental inputs? -
2023 · Q75 · General Studies · 2 marks
Consider the following statements : Statement-I : India's public sector health care system largely focuses on curative care with limited preventive, promotive and rehabilitative care. Statement-II : Under India's decentralized approach to health care delivery, the States are primarily responsible for organizing health services. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?