Clean Ganga has been in the making for the last 10 Years

In 45 days, more than 660 million devotees visited the Maha Kumbh, a spiritual festival in Prayagraj, where the Rivers Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati meet. The devotees dip in the holy waters of these rivers believing that doing so will cleanse them of sins, purify their soul and help them attain salvation.

The Maha Kumbh festival is a colossal gathering of faith and humanity, almost ten million people bathing in the rivers daily from January 13 to February 26, transcending the boundaries of religion and culture.

The massive congregation often results in a significant increase in waste production, such as food packaging, plastic bottles, discarded clothing, and other single-use items, typically rises dramatically.

The religious character of the Kumbh also leads to spikes in waste like flowers, plastic bags, and other non-biodegradable materials as people gather along the Ganga riverbanks to pray and perform offerings. 

One can imagine the scale at which the facilities are managed, ensuring cleanliness, sanitation and sanctity of rivers and the entire region. The enormity of the challenges is further exacerbated because the Rivers Ganga and Yamuna face significant threats from excessive water abstraction and pollution.

To ensure river cleanliness, multiple initiatives were taken at this year’s Kumbh festival, setting new benchmarks in environmental sustainability, sanitation and waste management. Despite the criticisms of the river water quality at the time of the Kumbh festival, it was later found “fit for bathing”.

While that said, it is not just the efforts taken at the Maha Kumbh 2025, one of the major projects to clean the river Ganga and make it as per prescribed bathing standards began more than 10 years ago.

Launch of Programme to Clean Ganga

In June 2014, the Indian government launched the National Mission for Clean Ganga as one of the most ambitious and holistic initiatives ever undertaken to restore the health of the River Ganga.

The program was launched under the Ministry of Jal Shakti to reduce pollution and conserve and rejuvenate the River Ganga and its tributaries. Its multifaceted approach integrates pollution abatement, ecological restoration, capacity building, and community engagement, with a focus on both the river’s environmental integrity and the livelihoods of millions who depend on it.

The flagship initiative, also called Namami Gange Programme, was launched with a budgetary outlay of Rs 20,000 crore for five years, up to March 2021 and has been further extended to March 2026 with a budgetary outlay of Rs 22,500 crore.

Implementation of National Mission for Clean Ganga

The implementation of projects under National Mission for Clean Ganga picked up pace after completion of preparatory activities, which included robust monitoring and financial approval mechanism.

Multiple projects were initiated to enhance sewage treatment capacity, improve water quality, and regulate industrial waste discharge to rejuvenate the rivers and achieve prescribed bathing standards.

Namami Gange Programme has completed 127 projects and 152 Sewage Treatment Plants within 7-8 years, creating 3,446 Million Liters Per Day (MLD) of sewage treatment capacity, surpassing the pre-2014 capacity by over 30 times. 

In Prayagraj, treatment capacity increased from 268 MLD in 2017 to 348 MLD in 2024, which significantly improved river water quality. Further, all untapped drains were checked.

Similarly, in Varanasi, treatment capacity has increased from 100 MLD to 420 MLD, the number of untapped drains has reduced from 8 to one partially tapped drain.

Apart from the infrastructural changes, the mission also intends to foster a collective community-driven approach that ensures sustainability of the Ganga River. On a regular basis, public awareness programs are conducted to educate people about the importance of rivers and their conservation. 

Under the awareness campaign, various activities, such as cultural programmes, Aarti on the banks of rivers, river cleaning drives, slogans, drawing, essay competitions, etc, are carried out at schools and public places in multiple Indian cities for the awareness and participation in the conservation of rivers. 

At the Maha Kumbh 2025, the Namami Gange Pavilion, showcasing immersive audio-visual props related to River Ganga conservation, attracted a significant number of visitors. 

Measuring Success of Clean Ganga

The National Mission for Clean Ganga has made significant strides in pollution abatement and demonstrating notable progress in restoring the River Ganga to its pristine glory.

The improvement in the quality of river waters is substantiated by the increase in Gangetic Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) population. A recent report by the government indicates an increase in the population of Gangetic Dolphins from 3,330 (+/-) 630 to 3,936 (+/-) 763.

Dolphins are recorded from the previously unreported stretches of the Ganga River, such as the stretch between Bithura to Rasula Ghat (Prayagraj). Dolphins were also reported for the first time from the Babai and Bagmati rivers in Bihar.

River dolphins, referred to as ‘indicator species’, are highly sensitive to changes in water quality and pollution, and their increase in population in the Ganga River signals the state of the environment.

The success of the National Mission for Clean Ganga in rejuvenating the Ganga is being recognized on the global stage.

In December 2022, the United Nations acknowledged the clean Ganga initiative as one of the Top 10 World Restoration Flagship Initiatives. In 2024, the International Water Association awarded the National Mission for Clean Ganga the title of Climate Smart Utility, further cementing the programme’s commitment to sustainable water management.

Wrapping Up

The Ganga is one of the most significant rivers in India, spiritually, culturally, economically and ecologically. 

The Ganga basin is home to more than 30 percent of India’s population, who rely on its resources for food, agriculture, and livelihoods. The river also supports more than 25,000 species of flora and fauna. The forests around the river basin are an important carbon store and help to mitigate climate change impacts. 

Industrialisation and rapid urbanization have caused serious issues in the river, exacerbated by industrial waste, untreated sewage, and religious offerings polluting its waters.

In response, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (Namami Gange Programme) aims to rejuvenate the river and preserve its sanctity, which is critical to safeguard future generations.

It is still a long way before the river achieves its pristine glory, there is a beginning.