ELEVENTH MEETING OF NATIONAL RIVER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY - A
BACKGROUNDER
The Eleventh meeting
of the National River Conservation Authority (NRCA) will be chaired
by the Prime Minister, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee here on Monday
(June 16). The meeting will be attended among others by the Union
Minister for Environment & Forests, Shri T.R. Baalu, who is
also the Vice Chairman of the NRCA, Deputy Chairman of the Planning
Commission, Shri K.C. Pant, Minister for Finance, Shri Jaswant
Singh, Minister for Water Resources, Shri Arjun Sethi and Minister
for Urban Affairs & Employment, Shri Anant Kumar. Chief Ministers
of 18 states, several Members of Parliament and experts, who are
also the members of NRCA are also likely to attend the meeting.
The Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Mufti Mohammad
Syed is a special invitee. The meeting will take stock of follow
up actions taken on the decisions at the last meeting of NRCA
on March 13, 2001. It will also review the National River Conservation
Plan and the National Lake Conservation Plan. Issues such as operation
and maintenance of assets created over the last 18 years, creating
public awareness and ensuring people’s participation in cleaning
and keeping rivers and lakes pollution free are also likely to
figure prominently at the meeting.
The main objective
of National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) is to maintain the
wholesomeness of water quality of major rivers through the implementation
of various pollution abatement schemes.
The functions of
the NRCA are as follows:
- To lay down, promote and approve
appropriate policies and programmes (long and short term)
to achieve the objectives.
- To examine and approve the priorities
of the NRCP.
- To mobilize necessary financial
resources.
- To review the progress of implementation
of approved programmes and give necessary directions to the
Steering Committee, and
- To take all such measures as
may be necessary to achieve the objectives.
In the X meeting
of the NRCA held in March, 2001 under the chairmanship of the
Prime Minister of India, it was decided to adopt an integrated
approach for the river cleaning programme, and all future works
would be shared on a 70:30 basis between the Central and the State
Governments. Of the State share, the share of public shall be
a minimum of 10% of the total cost.
The approved
works under NRCP now extend to 157 towns along 31 stretches of
polluted rivers in 18 States. It involves a total cost of Rs.4064
crore with Government of India share of Rs.3464 crore.
763 projects with
a value of Rs.2460 crore have been sanctioned under NRCP. This
is in addition to 261 projects sanctioned under GAP Phase-I. The
total expenditure incurred till 31.3.2003 under NRCP is Rs.1236.67
crore, including the State’s share.
Significant success
has been achieved in controlling industrial pollution in rivers
and lakes in the country. In 1997, 851 defaulting industries were
identified which were generating BOD load of 100Kg/day or more
and discharging their effluents without proper treatment directly
or indirectly into the water course. These industries were directed
to install their respective Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs).
As on March 31, 2003 the number of such defaulting industries
have come down to 5 (Orissa-2, UP, Punjab, MP-1 each). While 608
industries have installed ETPs, 238 industries have been closed
down.
