Rebuilt Uttarkashi sewerage network protects Ganga at source: Namami Gange

New Delhi, Jul 10 (PTI) The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on Friday highlighted how the rebuilt sewerage network in Uttarkashi under the Namami Gange programme has cleaned the Ganga at its source, where it flows as the Bhagirathi through the Himalayan town. The mission said that keeping the river clean in Uttarkashi is crucial as the Bhagirathi emerges from Gomukh and flows through the Himalayan town in its most pristine form before continuing its journey downstream to Rishikesh, Haridwar and beyond. Stressing that protecting the river at its origin has implications far beyond the mountain town, the mission said conservation efforts in Uttarkashi help preserve the Ganga's water quality downstream. "The cleanliness of the Ganga begins where the Ganga itself begins... Protecting the Ganga in Uttarkashi is not merely an environmental effort for a mountain town -- it is the safeguarding of the entire river for the future. This is the very point that determines what the river will be like over the thousands of kilometres of its journey ahead," the NMCG said in a post on X. The mission said that rebuilding the sewerage network in Uttarkashi posed unique challenges as the existing infrastructure had been severely damaged by a natural disaster and had to be reconstructed in the difficult Himalayan terrain. "The challenge here was entirely different from that in the plains. A natural disaster had damaged the town's sewage system. Amid hilly slopes, limited space, and rugged terrain, the system had to be not just repaired but rebuilt from the ground up," it said. Tracing the project timeline, the NMCG said that restoration work under Namami Gange began in 2015, sewerage network reconstruction progressed in 2017, and the upgradation of the 2 MLD sewage treatment plant (STP) at Gyasu was completed in 2018. The mission said that both sanctioned projects, with a total investment of Rs 15 crore, have now been completed and the restored infrastructure ensures that the town's wastewater is treated before entering the river. "Today, the picture is clear. With an investment of Rs 15 crore, both approved projects have been fully completed. The system that was once shattered by the disaster now stands stronger and more capable than before. The town's wastewater now reaches the Ganga only after treatment," it said. The NMCG said that the benefits of the intervention extend well beyond Uttarkashi, as preserving water quality in the upper Himalayan region helps maintain the river's health downstream. "This is not just for Uttarkashi. The water that remains pure in the upper Himalayan region carries the foundation of its purity onward through Rishikesh and Haridwar to Prayagraj and Varanasi. Protection at the source becomes protection for the entire Ganga," it said. PTI ADI ASD ASD