Mission rationale and background
The Ganga river basin, for long, has been important for
the country, owing to its cultural significance and the economic implications
of its coverage as it supports about 43 per cent of the Indian
population.[1]
However, the river basin today stands heavily polluted due
to the discharge of untreated industrial and domestic waste. The
underutilisation of urban wastewater and the lack of efficient sewerage
networks have only contributed to the problem. For instance, the CPCB estimates
that the 144 drains along the main
stem of the river discharge more than 6000
million litres per day (MLD) of sewage/sullage with industrial effluents. As per estimates of the MoWR, a sewage treatment capacity
of about 7300 MLD is required whereas the
currently, it is a mere 3300 MLD (2100
MLD created and 1200 MLD under creation).[2]
The image to the left shows Sisamau Nala, Kanpur’s largest and
most-polluted open drain, discharging waste into the Ganga. The image to the
right is of a polluted stretch of the Ganga, between Allahabad and Varanasi. Photo
sources: www.downtoearth.org.in and www.livemint.com
Even within the existing 2100 MLD of sewage
treatment capacity which is only 28%
of the requirement, several plants are not utilized fully, are outdated and
need to be renovated, modernized and
maintained properly. In the major
cities of the north India along the river basin, situation is no different as
far as sanitation woes are concerned. For
instance in Delhi, the sewerage network has lacked maintenance leading to
overflow of raw sewage in open drains, due to blockage, settlements and inadequate
pumping capacities. The sewage treatment capacities in key north Indian cities along
the basin is thus far from being efficient both in terms of capacity and
maintenance. Moreover, considering the rapid urbanization in these cities in
the coming years, the capacity addition plans in progress also might not be
sufficient. The following table highlights the sewage treatment capacities in
the major cities along the Ganga basin in North India.
|
City |
Sewage
Generation (MLD) |
Sewage
Treatment Capacity (MLD) |
Sewage
Treatment Capacity (% of total sewage generated) |
|
Haridwar |
39.6 |
18 |
45% |
|
New Delhi |
3800 |
2330 |
61% |
|
Kanpur |
339 |
171.1 |
50% |
|
Allahabad |
208 |
89 |
43% |
|
Varanasi |
187.1 |
141 |
75% |
Sewage generation and
treatment capacities of major cities along the Ganga basin (2013); source: http://cpcb.nic.in/
Thus, the Namami Gange programme, for the
revitalisation of the largest river basin of India, holds vital implications
for the northern region. It addresses the urgent need for an Integrated Water
Resource Management (IWRM) approach at river-basin level, to promote
coordinated management of water resources and equitable access without
compromising the sustainability of ecosystems. With sub-areas including sustainable municipal
sewage management, managing of sewage from rural areas, industrial discharge
and others, the flagship initiative of the Indian government has the potential
of going a long way in addressing the water crises in the region.
Mission features and current status
With
an outlay of INR 20,000 crores for a period of 5 years (2014-15 to 2019-20)[3],
Namami Gange envisions to accomplish the mandate of the National Mission for
Clean Ganga (NMCG). Implementation
has been divided into entry-level activities (for immediate impact) and medium
term activities, to be implemented in the direction of achieving the long-term
objectives (refer to the Figure 1 for an overview
of the programme).
The funding
mechanism has been reinvented, owing to the observation that investments made under past programmes (Ganga Action Plan I &
II, NGRBA, Yamuna Action Plan) were far from optimal. The Union Cabinet approved the Hybrid Annuity based Public Private Partnership (PPP) model for the
mission with an aim to reform India’s wastewater sector and infuse efficiency,
viability and sustainability. Under the model, the government will provide 40
per cent of the project cost during the construction period and the release of
funds is linked to the progress of construction. The rest of the investments
will have to be raised from private sources in the form of equities and loans.
The overall equity burden on private bidders would thus be less and so would
the loan requirement in comparison to the other modes of PPP, making banks potentially
more comfortable. The loans would be paid back by the government in instalments
during the contract period, based on the performance of the private player and
the asset. The model envisages the infrastructure and O&M
investments, to be shared between the Centre and the States on a 70:30 basis
respectively. The state governments have been further instructed to strategise
resource recovery through their Urban Local Bodies (ULB’s).[4]
Keeping in view the need for scalability, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is to be established to plan, structure and procure, along with monitoring implementation of the PPP projects. The SPV would enter into MoA’s with participating State Governments and respective ULBs for taking up individual projects. Additionally, MoU’s with various ministries, such as the already-underway MoU with Ministry of Railways for purchase of treated water from STPs to facilitate faster market development for treated wastewater, are to be undertaken.[5]
Challenges and need for innovation
The mission along with sanitising the river basin, calls
for efficient waste management infrastructure such as bio-digestor toilets,
bathing facilities, along with sewerage treatment plants and networks. The
mission has crucial economic, social and environmental implications. Thus, its
mandates include livelihood generation models, health programmes and community
engagement programmes for populations living along the banks.
While
momentous, the initiative has its share of challenges to meet. The scale of the
waste water being discharged into the basin every day requires a joint approach
of river conservation and urban waste management, and likewise, substantial
investments and collaborative efforts of the state governments. However, while
open to private individual and organisational funding, data from the corporate affairs ministry shows private
funding received for Namami Gange in 2014-15 to be the least among the
government’s flagship programmes.[6]
The selection of the appropriate private partners for the implementation and
operation & maintenance of the projects will be a key success factor for
the initiative.
The
end-to-end implementation of the initiative’s projects needs to be swift and
efficient considering the time frame and the progress achieved till date. The
following key interventions if brought in during the implementation phase of
the projects could lead to improved efficiency and effective implementation:
§ Thorough technical assessments need to be done
to identify specific technological interventions required while earmarking the
capital costs for each plant
§ Additionally, efficient project management
calls for cost and time benchmarks, and a rigorous monitoring framework
§ Assessment of real-time operational parameters
of the treatment plant and quality parameters of the treated water through
usage of data analytics are imperative for the mission’s success
§ The sewage treatment plants (STP’s) must
combine aspects of IT, data analytics, smart energy management, smart water
treatment, grey water treatment to collect, treat and suitably redeploy treated
water
§ Possibility of integrating STPs with
simulation software to predict effluent quality in real time and manage quality
risks throughout its lifecycle
§ New STPS should be equipped to handle both
storm water along with normal sewage
