Rotary India Partners with National Mission for Clean Ganga to Support Namami Gange Programme

Team L&M

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti (earlier Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation) has partnered with Rotary India to strengthen the government’s flagship Namami Gange Programme, aimed at cleaning and rejuvenating the river Ganga.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalising this collaboration was signed between U P Singh, Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga, and PT Prabhakar, Vice-Chairman of Rotary India.

Rotary India to Support Ganga Cleaning Through WASH Programme

Under the agreement, Rotary India will contribute to the Clean Ganga mission through its WASH in Schools programme, which focuses on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives.

As of now, the programme is being implemented in over 20,000 government schools and communities located along the river Ganga. These are in states such as Bihar, Jharkhand and the Nadia district of West Bengal, besides other regions where Rotary is present.

The WASH initiative includes:

• Improving water and sanitation facilities in government schools

• Promoting hygiene awareness among students and teachers

• Engaging school management committees and local communities

• Encouraging positive health and sanitation practices

Students trained under the programme often become agents of change. They spread awareness about sanitation and hygiene within their families and communities.

Goal: Reduce Pollution and Rejuvenate the Ganga

The primary objective of the National Mission for Clean Ganga is to reduce pollution and restore the ecological health of the river Ganga. This goal is pursued through:

• Integrated planning and inter-sectoral coordination

• Maintaining minimum ecological flow in the river

• Ensuring water quality and sustainable environmental development

The mission covers the entire Ganga river basin, including all states through which the river flows, as well as the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

The Importance of the River Ganga

The Ganga River is one of the largest and most important rivers in Asia. It flows for over 2,500 kilometres, originating from Gaumukh in Uttarakhand and emptying into the Bay of Bengal at Ganga Sagar in West Bengal.

The river basin covers nearly 26% of India’s landmass and supports hundreds of millions of people.

However, the river is threatened by industrial waste, untreated sewage and environmental degradation. Reports say that in 2010 alone, around 1.4 billion litres of untreated sewage were discharged into the Ganga each day.

Efforts to Restore the Ganga

Recognising the urgency of the problem, the Indian government initiated multiple programmes to restore the river’s health. Earlier initiatives focused primarily on engineering solutions to improve water quality. However, experts later realised that community participation is crucial for long-term success in river conservation.

To strengthen the effort, the government established the National Ganga River Basin Authority, which works at the basin level to preserve:

• Water quality

• Ecological flow

• Biodiversity

• Sustainable ecosystem services

The partnership with Rotary India will increase community awareness and participation. This will make the Clean Ganga mission more effective and sustainable.