New Delhi, 09 January (H.S.): The Namami Gange Mission marked a significant stride Friday toward pollution-free rivers, commissioning five major new sewage infrastructure projects during the third quarter of FY 2025-26, bolstering Phase II efforts and elevating operational sewage treatment capacity to 3,976 MLD across 173 plants nationwide.

The Jal Shakti Ministry highlighted that nine projects have now been activated this financial year, preventing untreated urban sewage discharge into sacred waterways and enhancing municipal wastewater management in key urban clusters.

Strategic Deployments Across Ganga-Yamuna Basin

In Uttar Pradesh, Shuklaganj on the Ganga gained a 5 MLD plant costing ₹65 crore benefiting 300,000 residents; Agra's Yamuna secured two robust facilities—31 MLD and 35 MLD—at ₹842 crore total, aiding 2.5 million; Varanasi's Ganga received a 55 MLD plant serving 1.8 million.

West Bengal's North Barrackpore activated a 30 MLD Ganga plant for ₹154 crore, protecting 220,000 people, while Patna's Kankarbagh in Bihar upgraded from 15 MLD to 30 MLD.

Prior second-quarter launches spanned Udham Singh Nagar (Uttarakhand), Moradabad (UP), Maheshtala, and Jangipur (West Bengal), collectively slashing untreated effluents into Ganga and Yamuna for cleaner flows and sustainable urban hygiene.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar