The year 2015 saw varied developments related to the Clean Ganga Mission and protection of the unique Himalayan environment of Uttarakhand. An application was submitted in the National Green Tribunal regarding the untreated sewage and effluent from ashrams, hotels and industrial units contaminating the Ganga from Rishikesh to Haridwar. This resulted in some actions but observers point out that nothing major has been facilitated by the authorities in 2015 to ensure conservation of Himalayas, the Ganga and other rivers in Uttarakhand.
According to official data, about 440 million litres of sewage per day is discharged into the 450 kilometres stretch of Ganga river in Uttarakhand. In 2015, as part of the National Mission for Clean Ganga of the ministry of Water Resource, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, the Dehradun based Forest Research Institute started working on preparation of a DPR for augmenting water flow in the Ganga through forestry interventions and to treat the water through biological filters.
During a visit to Uttarakhand in the year, Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti had said that effects of forestry interventions for the Clean Ganga Mission should start becoming visible by July 2018. During October Bharti also approved various proposals submitted by the State Government including construction of a new ghat at Chandighat in Haridwar and formation of a consortium of engineers from central PSUs for strengthening the embankments of Mandakini and Saraswati rivers and construction of ghats at Kedarnath.
The year saw the State Government repeatedly seeking funds from the Centre to clean the Ganga. Chief minister Harish Rawat stated that if the Central Government provides assistance, the State can ensure 100 per cent pollution free Ganga at Haridwar. The State had prepared its action plan for the Ganga and its tributaries originating in Uttarakhand stating that Centre will have to provide Rs10,000 crore to the State for implementing this plan.
Earlier in the year, the Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB) conducted a survey and ascertained that 17 out of 22 major Ashrams in Rishikesh and Haridwar were dumping untreated sewage into the Ganga.
Various actions were taken on directions of the NGT but observers point out that simply preventing pollution in the Ganga is not enough at a time when its tributaries like the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga among others are being diverted into tunnels for hydro power projects. The year saw official communications and academic activities galore on the Ganga but little was achieved on the ground.
While various organisations and even the State Government commemorated Himalaya Day on September 9 across the State, environmentalists pointed out that constructions and plans like the one for boosting adventure tourism in places like Kedarnath would do more harm to the environment of the Himalayas. The CM declared that the Himalayas will be the central point of all schemes drafted in the State. However, it remains to be seen whether the new year brings with it the critically required improvement in efforts for protection of the Himalayas and rivers.