More than a decade after India launched its ambitious river-cleaning drive, the Government of India says the effort to revive polluted rivers—especially the Ganga—is delivering tangible results on multiple fronts, from sewage treatment and afforestation to dolphin rescue and community participation.
The Centre has been supplementing the efforts of States and Union Territories through two major programmes: the Central Sector Namami Gange Programme (NGP) for the Ganga basin and the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) for rivers outside it. Launched in 2014–15, Namami Gange was initially planned for five years but has now been extended up to March 2026, reflecting the scale and long-term nature of the task.
Under Namami Gange, a comprehensive approach has been adopted to clean and rejuvenate the Ganga and its tributaries. The focus goes far beyond sewage treatment to include riverfront development, maintaining environmental flow, rural sanitation, afforestation, biodiversity conservation and public participation. As of February 2026, as many as 524 projects had been sanctioned under the programme at a total cost of Rs 43,030 crore, with 355 of these projects already completed.
Parallelly, the NRCP has been addressing pollution in non-Ganga rivers by funding interception and diversion of raw sewage, construction of sewerage networks, sewage treatment plants, low-cost sanitation and riverfront and ghat development. So far, the scheme has covered 58 rivers in 100 towns across 17 States, with projects worth Rs 8,970.51 crore sanctioned and sewage treatment capacity of 3,019 million litres per day created.
At the implementation level, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has emerged as the backbone of the river-cleaning effort. A total of 218 sewerage infrastructure projects costing Rs 35,794 crore have been taken up to treat polluted stretches, creating a treatment capacity of 6,610 MLD. Of these, 138 sewage treatment plant projects with a combined capacity of 4,050 MLD are already completed and operational.
Technology has played a growing role in monitoring outcomes. The NMCG’s online dashboard, ‘PRAYAG’, enables real-time tracking of river water quality and the performance of sewage treatment plants on the Ganga and Yamuna. In addition, minimum environmental flow norms notified in October 2018 are now being implemented across the Ganga, with compliance monitored regularly by the Central Water Commission.
A strong conservation push accompanies pollution abatement. Seven biodiversity parks have been sanctioned in districts of Uttar Pradesh, along with five priority wetlands across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Along the main stem of the Ganga, over 33,000 hectares have been afforested at a cost of about Rs 414 crore. To strengthen aquatic life, over 203 lakh Indian Major Carp fingerlings have been released into the river to conserve fish diversity and support the prey base for the endangered Gangetic dolphin, while also sustaining fisher livelihoods.
In a landmark step for wildlife protection, India’s first Dolphin Rescue Ambulance was inaugurated in Dehradun in January 2026, enabling safe rescue and translocation. Eight Gangetic dolphins have already been rescued and released. Community participation has been bolstered through a ‘Soons-Saathi’ volunteer network spanning 250 km, along with trained personnel, sensitised community members and dolphin clubs to improve early reporting and conservation awareness.
Gharial and turtle conservation has also gained momentum. Surveys across 22 rivers recorded 3,037 gharials, highlighting the urgent need for habitat protection. Threatened turtle species have been rewilded in the Ganga, Yamuna and Sarju rivers with radio-tagging and scientific monitoring, while hatcheries along the Chambal have helped achieve a hatchling survival rate of over 96 per cent for endangered Batagur turtles. Riverine patrolling using SMART technology has now been institutionalised over a 210-km stretch of the Chambal.
To support research and transparency, the NMCG has created the ‘Ganga Knowledge Portal’, a one-stop digital repository hosting over 1,300 documents, datasets and publications related to water resource management. On the governance front, 139 District Ganga Committees have been constituted, together holding more than 5,100 structured meetings to monitor on-ground progress.
Public engagement remains central to the mission, with regular campaigns such as Ganga Utsav, Nadi Utsav, clean-up drives, plantation programmes, yoga sessions at ghats and Ganga aartis, supported by networks of Ganga Praharis and volunteers. Officials say these combined efforts underline a decisive shift from isolated clean-up projects to a sustained, people-driven movement to restore India’s rivers.
