After watching lakhs of Naga sadhus and crores of people taking a dip in the holy Ganga at Kumbh Mela, made me wonder about the cleanliness of the sacred river.
I was very happy when one of my friends wrote that the cleaning process is on and that most of the job has already been done, as our honourable PM represents Kashi. But my own research has shown me a pathetic story
Swamy Sanand who recently passed away after his 111 day fast to save the Ganga wrote to PM "In the last 4years of your government there is not even a single action that can be said to be a fruitful one in the direction of saving Ganga” The recent CAG review of Namami Gange corroborates with Swamiji, it says that only 1%of the river has been cleaned in the last 4 years and around 50,000 crores more is needed to complete the project, due to administrative delays, poor contract management. As per the report Rs20,000 crores for a period of 5 years, was allocated for this mission that was flagged off amidst much fanfare in 2014. It is Therefore really deeply shocking that nearly half of that budget has been spent only to achieve 1%progress. Earlier too dismissing the claims of respective state governments about the measures taken, the NGT had expressed its bitter disappointment.
A year ago, we all (family with few relatives) went to Varanasi on pilgrimage and noticed that there is a good development in the city but the Ganga river is still in bad condition.
Mr. AK Biswas a distinguished visiting professor at the LEE KUAN YEW school for public policy in Singapore, is a globally most respected Water Expert says, ”the entire Ganga pollution control plan is fundamentally flawed. If by a miracle the current plan could be implemented, it will still not be effective even over the medium term, let alone the long term, because it is mostly past-oriented and does not take into account the future conditions.” Biswas, who has authored and edited over 80 books, mainly on water resources and management said: “political rhetoric will never clean up Ganga —-it’s theoretically impossible to clean entire Ganga by 2020.”
The fundamental issue is “Development Vs Environment ”. The Uttarakhand government maintains that Mining is essential for their State’s Growth while the environmental activists hold that successive governments have been colluding with the mining mafia in their unlawful and unsustainable mining. This apart tannery effluents, municipal sewerage etc are also the reasons.
It’s only the people of this Punyabhoomi who have been blessed with few unique and outstanding things—Ganga, Gau, Gita, and Gayatri. Its high time we Indians rise above all divisions collectively resurrect at least this divine aquatic gift called Ganga otherwise there will be no Ganga remaining, leaving us with the only option of a mental dip in it.
