The environment ministry will soon set up a Ganga Knowledge Centre (GKC), a single point of reference sharing details on data and plans and policies that would aid in cleaning up the one of the longest rivers in the world.
“It would be a knowledge repository, where under one roof all relevant data such as pollution status, sewage treatment plants’ installation and future policies for making the Ganga pollution free will be available,” Rajiv Gauba, Joint Secretary in the ministry said today.
The establishment of the Centre is one of the mandate of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), set up just a few months back by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with an aim to cleanse the river by 2020.
The 2,510 km river originates from the western Himalayas in the Uttarakhand state of India, and drains into the Sunderbans delta in the Bay of Bengal.
“We are roping in prominent consultants for establishment and operational work of the functional arms of the NGRBA’s central and state-level institutions including the Ganga Knowledge Centre,” Gauba said.
He elaborated that GKC would be like a store—house where all short and long—term plans for sustainable development of Ganga river basin, investigations, pollution levels, its social, cultural and religious dimensions would be available to public as well researchers.
“We are in the process of setting it up and the location is yet to be identified,” the official added.
The ministry has received project preparation facility (PPF) advance of USD 2.96 million from World Bank for supporting the preparation of a clean-up investment project for the river.
