New Delhi: The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on Wednesday said operational sewage treatment capacity across the Ganga basin has increased 10-fold in the last seven years, from 351 MLD in 2018 to 3,805 MLD in 2024-25, highlighting it as an “unprecedented” scale of infrastructure delivery in India’s water sector.
In a post on X, the official handle of Namami Gange — a flagship programme under the NMCG for the abatement of pollution and conservation of the national river Ganga — stated that ’10x is not a marketing number’ but reflects the scale of infrastructure created under the river rejuvenation programme.
“It is how much operational sewage treatment capacity has grown across the Ganga basin in seven years. From 351 MLD in 2018 to 3,805 MLD today,” the post said.
- Infrastructure Growth: The 10x growth represents a major shift in water management, focusing on cleaning the river’s main stem.
- Performance-Based Funding: A US$1.1 billion Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) PPP model is utilized, where 60% of capital comes from private sources, ensuring operators are paid only for effective plant performance.
- Operational Transparency: The “Gangapulse” platform is used to monitor and verify the performance data of 198 sewage treatment plants (STPs).
- Impact on River Health: Water quality has shown improvement, with faecal coliform levels dropping at monitoring stations in Uttarakhand, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh.
- Broad Scope: The project includes 84 Ghats/Crematoria projects, solid waste management, and the rehabilitation of over 50 cities under a ‘One City, One Operator’ model.
