Govt notifies minimum environmental flow for river Ganga

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The Central Government on October 10, 2018, notified the minimum environmental flow for River Ganga that has to be maintained at various locations on the river. Environmental flows are the acceptable flow regimes that are required to maintain a river in the desired environmental state or predetermined state.

Calling this a significant development, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari said that the notification of e-flow for the river would go a long way in ensuring its Aviralta or continuous flow. Reiterating the Government’s commitment towards an Aviral and Nirmal Ganga, the Minister informed that the draft Ganga Act has also been sent to the Cabinet for approval.

“This is a very significant moment. The discussions on notifying e flow of Ganga were going on for a long time. We have taken this step to ensure a minimum amount of flow in the river,”Gadkari said, according to a PIB release.

The notification issued by the Government on October 10 will  ensure that the river has at least the minimum required environmental flow of water even after the river flow gets diverted by projects and structures for purposes like irrigation, hydro-power, domestic and industrial use etc.

The notification also stipulates that the Central and State authorities shall implement demand side management plans to reduce water withdrawal from River Ganga by adopting good and scientific practices such as efficient method of irrigation, reuse and recycle of water including monitoring and regulation of groundwater withdrawals for various purposes.

Gadkari informed that many projects like ghats and crematoria development, sewage treatment plants, river surface cleaning etc. on River Ganga are in different stages of construction and assured the people of India that their dream of Aviral and Nirmal Ganga will come true once all these projects become operational. On the issue of construction of hydro-power projects in Uttarakhand, Gadkari said that views of various stakeholders are being taken and a considered decision will then be taken in this regard.

Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharti called the notification of e-flow for Ganga a “historic” step and thanked Gadkari for taking forward the work she had started. “Ganga has been a symbol of faith for me personally but after starting working on Ganga, I developed the proper understanding of the problems. It is in this regard that this notification is a historic step and a beginning to rejuvenate all the rivers of India.”