New Delhi: Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Paatil on Monday chaired the 17th meeting of the Empowered Task Force (ETF) on the Namami Gange Programme, with the government placing renewed emphasis on technology-driven river rejuvenation, real-time monitoring and stricter compliance of sewage treatment systems along the Ganga basin.
At the meeting, senior officials from the Centre and Ganga basin states reviewed progress under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), including the completion of 15 pollution-abatement projects this year across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttarakhand and Delhi. The minister said the implementation momentum reflected improved coordination and monitoring on the ground.
A key focus of the discussions was the deployment of advanced mapping and surveillance tools to track pollution sources more accurately. Officials reported significant progress in an aerial drainage-mapping project in Uttar Pradesh using LiDAR and drone imagery, which is being integrated into a live GIS-based dashboard to help identify pollution hotspots, prioritise interventions and prepare more accurate project reports.
The minister also directed states to finalise policies for reuse of treated wastewater in line with the national framework and to promote large-scale adoption of recycled water to reduce pressure on freshwater sources.
To strengthen oversight of sewage treatment plants, the NMCG announced plans to introduce CCTV-based visual surveillance and AI-enabled compliance checks, supplementing the Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems already in place. These systems are linked to the public-facing Ganga Pulse dashboard, which discloses treatment performance data.
The meeting also reviewed financial performance, with the ETF clearing the NMCG’s annual accounts and noting a reduction in pending utilisation certificates. Paatil said sustained, coordinated, and technology-enabled efforts would be critical for long-term river rejuvenation.
