Dehradun/New Delhi: The latest update tabled in Lok Sabha lays bare the grim reality that the Ganga continues to reel under severe pollution despite years of high-decibel campaigns and massive financial spending.
The five Ganga basin states generate about 10160 MLD sewage while the treatment capacity stands at only 7820 MLD leaving a massive gap of untreated waste gushing into the river.
Projects for another 1996 MLD remain stuck at various stages of completion.
Land identification delays and statutory permissions including right of way road-cutting approvals and forest and revenue department clearances continue to slow down the establishment of new STPs. Even with repeated reviews by the National Mission for Clean Ganga the pace of work remains sluggish.
The CPCB monitoring at 112 locations shows uneven performance across states. Uttarakhand has shown improvement with the Haridwar to Sultanpur polluted stretch removed.
Uttar Pradesh remains the biggest worry where the polluted stretch has shifted to Bijnor to Tarighat and continues under Priority IV and V.
Bihar shows marginal improvement while West Bengal reflects partial gains. Jharkhand remains stable with no polluted stretch.
Water quality meets bathing norms for pH and dissolved oxygen.
However critical pockets in Uttar Pradesh fail the BOD criteria specifically Farrukhabad to Purana Rajapur Dalmau in Rae Bareli and the Mirzapur to Tarighat stretch signalling persistent pollution in the Kanpur and Varanasi belt.
Biomonitoring across 50 Ganga sites shows biological water quality in the good to moderate range suggesting ecological stress.
The dolphin population rise to 6327 from the earlier 2500 is encouraging but experts caution that sewage and industrial pollution still threaten aquatic habitats.
A total of 216 sewerage projects costing ₹34809 crore were sanctioned but only 138 STPs with 3806 MLD capacity are operational.
Of the 3726 Grossly Polluting Industries inspected in 2025 more than 380 were found non compliant exposing poor enforcement on industrial discharge.
Biodiversity parks afforestation fish ranching rescue programmes and Ganga Task Force activities continue but experts say these remain supplementary efforts that cannot compensate for delayed sewage treatment infrastructure.
The government maintains that river cleaning is a continuous process. Critics argue that despite huge expenditure untreated sewage continues to enter the Ganga daily and the river is still far from achieving the promised clean flow.
Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary presented the data in Lok Sabha. The unanswered question remains When will the Ganga finally flow clean.
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