Ganga is the source of drinking water for a quarter of India’s population and the need to clean up the river and make its water potable again has been in the news for several years now.
Some noise was made for a while in the name of the “Ganga Action Plan” of 1985 and after a few hundred crores went draining down the murky, muddy Ganga, the plan seemed to have died out; but here is yet another attempt to save the Ganga (and salvage our souls?), thanks to the World Bank.
For the last several years, the Government of India has tried to control the pollution in Ganga and clean up the mess. But mismanagement and corruption down the level succeeded in thwarting the ambitious plans.
Now, World Bank has sancioned this loan to continue the work and the support will go towards sustainable measures for reducing pollution – especially in wastewater collection and treatment, industrial pollution control, solid waste management, and riverfront management.
A statement issued by the World Bank in this connection says: “The World Bank’s National Ganga River Basin Project will help build the capacity of the NGRBA‘s new operational institutions to manage the Ganga clean-up and conservation programme.”
World Bank’s Country Director for India, Mr. Roberto Zagha said, “The World Bank is honoured to be able to support the government in its effort to revitalise this holy and mighty river of India.” “I am confident that with sustained public and political support for the NGRBA Programme, significant progress towards cleaning the Ganga will be achieved,” he added.
Should we seek a World Bank loan to clean up the system first – so that millions of dollars do not go down the drain while Ganga the river that cleans everything remains unclean?
