Number of polluted rivers increased from 302 to 351: Central Government

The number of polluted rivers across India has increased from 302 to 351 from 2015 to 2018. The Lok Sabha has been informed by the government on being asked about the status of rivers across India. Based on the monitoring results with reference to Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), an indicator of biological pollution, the polluted river stretches are identified from time to time by the CPCB.
Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Food Processing Industries, Prahlad Singh Patel said in a written reply, taking into account this data between the years 2009 to 2012, according to the report published in 2015, there are 302 polluted rivers across India, whereas According to surveillance data between 2018, its number had increased to 351.
The minister said, rapid urbanization and industrialization have added to the problem. Rivers in the country are polluted due to the discharge of untreated and partially treated sewage from cities and towns and industrial effluents into their respective catchments, problems in the operation and maintenance of sewage and wastewater treatment plants, lack of other non-point sources of pollution Huh.
The minister also said, while some experts have expressed concern about the reduction in water flow in rivers, the annual averages prepared by the Central Water Commission (CWC) for the last 20 years for major and important rivers in the country Flow is data. There is no sign of any significant decline in water availability.
However, as per CWC, the per capita annual water availability in the country has progressively decreased due to increase in population, urbanization, better lifestyle of the people etc.
The National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) has so far covered polluted stretches on 34 rivers in 77 cities spread across 16 states of the country. In which the sanctioned cost of the projects is Rs 5,965.90 crore, and sewage treatment capacity of 2522.03 MLD has been created. A total of 346 projects, including 158 projects for sewage treatment of 4948 MLD and a sewer network of 5,213 km, have been sanctioned under the Namami Gange program at a cost of Rs 30,235 crore, the government said.