New Delhi, Sept 27: The government has approved an initiative aimed at conserving freshwater turtles and gharials in Ganga, officials said on Friday.
According to officials, the approval was granted for the freshwater turtle and gharial conservation breeding programme at the Kukrail Gharial Rehabilitation Center in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Operated under the Namami Gange Mission-II, the programme will receive Rs 2 crore to help restore the endangered species in the Ganga river and its tributaries.
The development came during the 57th Executive Committee meeting of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on Friday, chaired by DG Rajeev Kumar Mittal, where projects totalling Rs 1,062 crore were approved, the officials said.
The projects are focused on conserving the Ganga river and preparations for Mahakumbh 2025, they said.
Key among the approvals is a 350-crore project in Katihar, Bihar, aimed at improving the city’s drainage and sewage systems.
This includes the construction of two sewage treatment plants (STPs) with a combined capacity of 55.5 million litres per day (MLD) and the interception of nine drains, the official said.
In Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, a Rs 488-crore project was approved to build two STPs with a total capacity of 113 MLD, alongside a septage co-treatment facility.
The project, which will intercept and divert sewage, is expected to be completed within two years and will also include 15 years of operation and maintenance, the officials said.
In Supaul, Bihar, a project costing Rs 76.69-crore has been approved to construct three STPs and manage six major, while in Uttarakhand, a Rs 2.5-crore initiative will boost septage treatment at several STPs in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Srinagar, and Devprayag, they said.
The committee also approved Rs 30 crore for IEC (information, education, and communication) activities during Mahakumbh 2025, which will involve decorating the mela area with mural art and organising a 45-day exhibition to showcase achievements under the Namami Gange programme.
Additionally, a project for online continuous monitoring of STPs in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal was approved for Rs 33 crore, and a Rs 13-crore ‘Smart Laboratory for Clean River’ project, in collaboration with IIT-BHU and Denmark, will support small river conservation efforts. (PTI)
