Planning multiple measures to cleanse Ganga: Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati

NEW DELHI: Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati today said that steps are being taken to ensure that river Ganga flows uninterrupted and clean in three years.

Briefing reporters on the sidelines of a dialogue here on the theme, 'Cleaning of India's Rivers - Design of Participatory Approaches', Bharati said that multiple measures to cleanse the river would be implemented on a short, medium and long-term basis.

"The short-term measures would take off within six months. The medium-term measures will be implemented between six months and one-and-a-half years while long-term measures would be carried out between 22 months and three years," she said.

Speaking at the event, Bharati said that the holy river, which has been flowing through the country for thousands of years, has got polluted only in the last 50 years.

Meanwhile, an official release said that a specific consultation with Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) located in five states along the Ganga river main stem will be held tomorrow.

The discussion would involve presentations by the Central Control Pollution Board (CCPB) on the regulatory framework along with those by the leading industrial associations regarding the actions taken and challenges faced in order to check the pollution generated by the various industries.