Ganga mission gets power to allow treated sewage into water bodies.
- Establishment – It was registered as a society in 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.
- Objectives – To ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga and to maintain minimum ecological flows ensuring better water quality and environmentally sustainable development.
- Vision – To ensure Aviral Dhara (Continuous Flow), Nirmal Dhara (Unpolluted Flow), Geologic and ecological integrity.
- Operation – The implementation arm of National Ganga Council since 2016.
- It has a 2-tier management structure and comprises of Governing Council and Executive Committee.
- Key functions – Implement the work programme of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) and the World Bank supported National Ganga River Basin Project.
- Coordinate and oversee the implementation of the projects.
- Accept or to provide any grant of money, loan securities or property to undertake operations.
- New Provisions – NMCG may now permit the discharge of treated sewage and effluent that conforms to the prescribed “norms” into the river, canal or water bodies.
- Recent activities of NMCG in 2023 – It has organised the 8th India Water Impact Summit (IWIS) and Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers (DHARA) Conference.
- It has launched Global River Cities Alliance with 9 countries to scale up collaborative knowledge sharing to facilitate river conservation.
Role of EPA, 1986 in protecting River Ganga
- It aims for prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution in river Ganga and to ensure continuous adequate flow of water so as to rejuvenate the River Ganga.
- It envisages 5 tier structure at national, state and district level as below
- National Ganga Council under chairmanship of Prime Minister of India.
- Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under chairmanship of Hon’ble Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.
- National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).
- State Ganga Committees
- District Ganga Committees in every specified district abutting river Ganga and its tributaries in the states.