Trilok Singh
Giving further impetus to technology-driven river rejuvenation, the 17th meeting of the Empowered Task Force (ETF) was held today under the chairmanship of the Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Shri C.R. Paatil. The meeting focused on strengthening data-based decision-making, monitoring mechanisms and compliance frameworks under the Namami Gange Programme, with special emphasis on drainage mapping and enhanced surveillance of sewage treatment infrastructure.
The meeting brought together key stakeholders from various ministries and state governments, including Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary; Secretary, Department of Water Resources, Shri V.L. Kantha Rao; Secretary, Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation, Shri Ashok K.K Meena; Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) Shri Rajeev Kumar Mital; JS&FA Department of Water Resources Shri Gaurav Masaldan; Shri Nalin Srivastava (Deputy Director General, NMCG); Shri Brijendra Swaroop, Executive Director (Projects), Shri Anup Kumar Srivastava (Executive Director, Technical); Shri S.P. Vashisth (Executive Director, Admin); Shri Bhaskar Dasgupta (Executive Director, Finance); Sh. Anurag Srivastava, ACS UP, Sh. Joginder Singh Project Director (UP), Sh. Sandeep Pr. Secretary Urban Development (Bihar), Ms Nandini Ghosh (Project Director, West Bengal SPMG); Sh. Suraj Project Director (Jharkhand);along with senior officers of NMCG and participating states. Meeting was attended by representatives of Ministry of Power, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs of Government of India.
Expressing satisfaction over the progress achieved, Minister appreciated the completion of 15 pollution abatement infrastructure projects during the current calendar year, terming it a significant achievement in the ongoing efforts for Ganga rejuvenation. He noted that the completion of these projects reflects strengthened coordination, effective monitoring, and focused implementation, laying a robust foundation for long-term river rejuvenation. UP led the states with completion of six projects, followed by Bihar and West Bengal with four and three projects respectively. Both Uttarakhand and Delhi completed one project each.
The meeting underscored the importance of reuse of treated wastewater, adoption of innovative and research-based solutions such as Aquifer Mapping with the focus on Paloe-Channels, as well as initiatives related to bioremediation and innovative sewerage treatment projects, CETP and others, noting that these interventions are essential for building a sustainable and resilient river management framework.
Minister directed all the states to expeditiously complete the policy for safe reuse of treated water aligned to national framework. An impetus was made to promote the reuse in states with clearly prescribed targets and enabling environment through notification of policy provisions.
The Minister reviewed the status of implementation of the project on “Aerial Survey for Drainage Mapping and Development of a GIS-Based Visualization Dashboard with Analytical Module and Geotagged Videography of Drainage System (Natural & Manmade) of River Ganga for the State of Uttar Pradesh.” He noted that the initiative leverages advanced geospatial technologies to support research-driven and evidence-based planning under the Namami Gange Programme. Minister was apprised that high-resolution aerial surveys have been completed along the Ganga main stem in Uttar Pradesh, generating precise geospatial datasets that are being integrated into a live GIS-based Drain Dashboard with 2D and 3D visualisation capabilities.
The dashboard enables basin-level pollution monitoring, identification of hotspots and prioritisation of drain remediation measures. It is first of its kind initiative where LiDAR based scientific data has been coupled with visual data generated through drone survey. Minister emphasized the need for timely field-level validation by District Ganga Committees, effective coordination and participation among States and departments to ensure targeted interventions and strengthened drain-based pollution management. The initiative will particularly help in preparation of comprehensive and accurate DPRs with identification of primary, secondary and tertiary drains and pollution load which it is carrying.
The Empowered Task Force also cleared the Annual Accounts of National Mission for Clean Ganga expressing satisfaction over the financial discipline followed by the organization. The reduction in pending utilization certificate was appreciated by the Minister of Jal Shakti.
To further enhance the monitoring and compliance framework of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is introducing CCTV-based real-time monitoring integrated with an AI-enabled feature extraction system and a centralized dashboard. While STPs are already being comprehensively monitored through Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems (OCEMS)—which track key water quality parameters such as BOD, COD, DO, pH and TSS and are integrated with the public Ganga Pulse dashboard—this initiative adds a critical layer of physical and visual monitoring to address concerns related to effective operation of STPs.
Minister expressed its satisfaction over the regular cleanliness drives conducted by NMCG every week since nationwide launch of cleanliness campaign “Ek Din, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath” under Swachhata Hi Seva 2025 on 25th September. He also expressed his satisfaction over public disclosure of STP performance through Ganga Pulse portal. Minister was apprised of activities under River City Alliance with a focus on river sensitive Urban Development. NMCG, RCA and UN Habitat came together and organized a workshop to help Indian cities tackle flood, adopt nature-based solutions and climate ready futures.
Concluding the meeting, the Minister appreciated the collective efforts of all stakeholders and expressed his hope that such coordinated and technology-driven initiatives will continue to strengthen Ganga rejuvenation in the future.
-Ministry of Jal Shakti
