(FREE) UPSC Current Affairs 2024 PDF

(GIST OF YOJANA) Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation-Recent Milestones [FEBRUARY-2019]

(GIST OF YOJANA) Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation-Recent Milestones

[FEBRUARY-2019]

Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation-Recent Milestones

Mains Paper 3: Environment
Prelims level: National Mission for Clean Ganga
Mains level: Cleanliness and Conservation

Introduction

Under Namami Gange programme, a total of 254 projects worth Rs.24,672 crore have been sanctioned for various activities such as sewage infrastructure, ghats and crematoria development, river front development, river surface cleaning, institutional development, biodiversity conservation, afforestation, rural sanitation, and public participation.
For River from Development, works at 145 ghats and 53 crematoria are in progress and expected to be completed by March 2019.
On rural sanitation front, all 4465 villages on the bank of river Ganga have been made Open Defecation Free (ODF) and 10,83,688 Individual Household Toilets have been constructed by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS). NMCG has released Rs. 829.0 crore to MoDS for this.
Total 6 no. of projects on biodiversity conservation and restoration of aquatic biodiversity of river Ganga including Dolphin, Gharial, Otter, water birds and fish & fisheries have been taken up, out of which 2 projects have been completed.
Rs. 190.3 crores has been sanctioned to the State Forest Departments of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West-Bengal for the year 2018-19, as a part of the afforestation program in the Ganga basin.
During the financial year 2018-19 (till 30.1 1.2018), National Mission for Clean Ganga has released Rs. 1532.59 crore to the states, Central Public Sector Undertakings for the implementation of the programme, including expenditure incurred for establishment.

Dam Projects:

Shahpur Kandi Dam Project: An agreement was reached between Punjab and J&K states under the aegis of MoWR, RD&GR at New Delhi on 8th September, 2018 to resume works of Shahpur Kandi Dam project in Punjab on river Ravi.
This project had been declared as a National Project. The Union Cabinet on 6th December, 2018 has approved the proposal of this Ministry for extending a Central Assistance of Rs. 485.38 crore (for irrigation component) for implementation of this project. The project would be completed by June 2022.
This project will help in creation of additional irrigation potential of 5000 ha in Punjab State and 32173 ha in J and K State and also efficient management of 1.18 Lac hectare area under UBDC system in Punjab. Consequently, this project would help minimising some of the water of the River Ravi which at present is going waste through the Madhopur Headworks downstream.

Lakhwar Project:

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 28ih August 2018 between Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Shipping and Road Transport and Highways and Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh for the construction of Rs. 3966.51 crore Lakhwar Multi-Purpose project in the Upper Yamuna Basin.
The Lakhwar project envisages construction of a 204 m high concrete dam across river Yamuna near Lohari village in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand with a live storage capacity of 330.66 MCM.
This storage will provide irrigation for 33,780 hectares land and availability of 78.83 MCM water for domestic, drinking und industrial use in the six basin states. The project will also generate 300 MW of power.
The project is to be executed by M/s Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVL). Completion of balance works of North Koel Reservoir Project, Bihar and Jharkhand:
The Ministry of Water Resources, RD & GR has taken up the work on completion of balance works of North Koel Reservoir Project, Bihar and Jharkhand which was halted in 1993.
The Union Cabinet in August 2017 has approved the proposal at an estimated cost of Rs 1622.27crore during three financial years from the start of the project.
The project aims to provide additional irrigation to 39,801 hectares of land annually in the drought prone areas of Aurangabad & Gaya districts of Bihar, Paloma and Garl Va districts of Jharkhand.

UPSC Pre General Studies Study Material

Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme (DRIP):

In the year 2018-19 Dam Break Analysis were conducted on 38 Dams for preparation of Inundation maps. DHARMA, a web based dam inventory management software has been completed.

Interlinking of Rivers (ILRs):

DPRs of four intra-stale link projects viz., Burhi Gandak-Noon-Baya-Ganga link and Kosi-Mechi link of Bihar Slate, Ponnaiyar Palar link of Tamil Nadu and Wainganga.
(Gosikhurd)-Nalganga(Purna/Tapi) link project of Maharashtra have been completed and sent to respective States.
Preparation of DPRs of Damanganga (Ekdarc)-Godavari and Daman ganga( Vagh/Val)- Bailarina Godavari (Kadva Dev) link projects of Maharashtra are under progress.

Proposal for Diversion of Godavari waters upto Cauvery basin:

As per the Planning of the Peninsular Component of the National Perspective Plan (NPP) about 20,796 MCM of water from Mahanadi and Godavari rivers is to be transferred through the nine link system namely

Mahanadi - Godavari link
Inchampalli - Nagarjuna Sagar link
Inchampalli - Pulichintala link
Polavaram Vijayawada link (implemented by Government of
Cauvery- Vaigai - Gundar link to Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery, Vaigai and Gundar basins.