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Updated on 30th January, 2024 , 6 min read
Related Course: BSc in Environmental Science
Aspirants preparing for the UPSC IAS Exam would find the topic and the article very helpful and useful. Read the full article to know more about the GAP in detail.
The Ganga Action Plan was started in the year 1986 to abandon pollution from the river Ganga, by Rajiv Gandhi. The Ganga Action Plan is a 100% centrally sponsored scheme under which the National River Ganga Basin Authority was established and Ganga was declared the National River of India. The authority is headed by the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers of all states in which the river Ganga flows.
The Ganga Action Plan was implemented in 2 phases:
The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) was in charge of designing and implementing GAP. Central Ganga Authority (CGA) came into existence under the Environment Protection Act 1986, led by the Prime Minister of India.
Due to a scarcity of funds and resources, Ganga Action Plan Phase 1 could not cover the full load, the Ganga Action Plan Phase 2 was then approved between 1993 and 1996
Several reasons led to the implementation of the Ganga Action Plan and the major reason was an increase in water pollution. The other reasons are listed in detail below:
From a UPSC Point Of View, the Ganga Action Plan is an important topic. The highlights of the GAP have been tabulated as follows.
GAP - Key Facts and Figures | |
Name of the Project | Ganga Action Plan (GAP) |
Launch Year | 1986 |
Prepared by | Ministry of Environment and Forest based on the Survey of the Ganga Basin by the CPCB |
Implementation Phases | Phase-1 (1986-2000) Phase-2 (approved from 1993-1996) |
Objectives | Pollution abetment and improving the water quality of the Ganga River |
Despite the several achievements of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP), the overall project could not achieve its full potential and was a missed opportunity. The failure of the Ganga Action Plan can be attributed to several key reasons.
Inadequate Sewage Treatment Infrastructure: Due to poor funds and resources, and a lack of coordination among the authorities there was a lack of proper infrastructure for the sewage treatment plant and the plant could not be built. The aim behind this was to improve the sewage treatment capacity
No Public Awareness: Since there was a lack of public awareness and community participation, the plan could not be implemented the way it was intended to
Industrial Pollution: Another major reason for the failure of the GAP was the negligence of the industries regarding pollution. Despite the rules and regulations in place, few industries failed to comply with those and released harmful substances into the River Ganga
Lack of Governance and Enforcement: A lack of stringent regulations and monitoring mechanisms allowed the violators to go unpunished, leading to the damage caused in the river
Excess Pollution: The sheer magnitude of pollution made it difficult to cover all the areas included in the GAP and implement comprehensive solutions
No Long-Term Vision: The Ganga Action Plan was a great initiative but lacked a long-term vision and sustainability. The short-term approach led to temporary improvements but failed to create an impact at a large scale
Read More:
Key Features | Description |
Length | Longest River of India - 2525 km Rises in the Western Himalayas and the State of Uttarakhand |
Formation | Formed from the confluence of two headstreams, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi, at Devprayag |
The Ganges | Ganga and its Tributaries from the Ganga River System |
Spread Across | It enters Bangladesh, where it meets the Brahmaputra and falls into the Bay of Bengal The Ganga-Brahmaputra Delta, also known as Sundarbans is the largest in the world spreading across West Bengal in India, and Bangladesh |
Sanctity | Considered the holiest and purest river in India |
Kumbh Mela | Organized after every 12 years on the banks of River Ganga in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, and Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh |
Though the overall outcome of the Ganga Action Plan was not as successful as planned, there certainly have been some positive outcomes. For the first time, the GAP raised an issue with the pollution of rivers in India. It not only focused on sewage treatment but also aimed at the conservation of biodiversity of the river ecosystem.
Some valuable lessons learned from the Ganga Action Plan are:
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By - Kasturi Talukdar 2018-09-05 08:26:31 , 3 min readGanga Action Plan (GAP), Background, Overview, Objectives, and Way Forward
By - Ridhima Jindal 2024-01-30 06:34:35 , 6 min readThe Ganga Action Plan was an initiative launched by Rajiv Gandhi in the year 1986 to reduce the pollution load from river Ganga
Unfortunately, the Ganga Action Plan was not that successful. Due to lack of proper administration, funds and resources coupled with lack of public awareness led to the project's failure
The objective of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was to reduce the waste in the river and improve the fresh water quality for the public
The Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh region of river Ganga is the most polluted as it is used by the general public in Kanpur to wash clothes, bathe, discharge sewage in the water bodies, and much more leading to the contamination
Varanasi tops the list when it comes to clean drinking water from Ganga. Following Varanasi is Prayagraj, and Haridwar stands at the fourth position. The efforts of these cities to maintain the cleanliness is to be applauded for
The reality shows that even after 10 years when Narendra Modi first unveiled the project in 2014 as Namami Gange, the river still remains to be polluted
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