Latest news with #JalShakti
Indian Express
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Centre advises UP to assess Yamuna rubber dam's potential impact on Taj Mahal foundation
The Centre has advised the Uttar Pradesh government to scientifically assess the potential impact of the proposed Yamuna rubber dam on the Taj Mahal's foundation and structural integrity, Lok Sabha was told Thursday. The state government plans to construct the rubber dam 1.5 km downstream of the monument in Agra. A rubber dam is made of fabric coated with rubber. The height of the rubber dam can be adjusted by regulating the amount of water or air inside it. It is fixed on a concrete foundation and can be inflated or deflated to control the river's flow. In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Minister of State of Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary said Uttar Pradesh's Irrigation and Water Resources Department has been 'advised to conduct a detailed scientific assessment & Hydro geological study of the potential impact of impounding water through the proposed rubber dam on the foundation and structural integrity of the Taj Mahal…' He said the state has also been asked to furnish details of a mechanism to ensure continuous flow in the river 'so as to tackle water quality'. 'Upon receipt of such proposals, NMCG (National Mission on Clean Ganga) undertakes a detailed examination to assess potential impacts on river morphology, ambient environment, structural integrity of the proposed structures, etc. before granting approval. This review also considers the status of statutory clearances obtained from relevant departments and agencies, as applicable,' the minister said in response to a question by BJP member Rajkumar Chahar. In March 2019, the Uttar Pradesh government had sought clearance for the project from the NMCG, which comes under the Jal Shakti Ministry. The same year, the state also moved a proposal seeking environmental clearance. According to the proposal, 28.975 hectares — comprising river areas, government land, barren land and agricultural land — are required for the dam and other facilities. In 2022, the Jal Shakti Ministry informed Rajya Sabha that as per the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) there was no threat to the stability of the foundation of Taj Mahal. 'Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has informed that there is no threat to the stability of the foundation of Taj Mahal. It is further informed by ASI that regular monitoring is done by ASI in this regard and that the monument is in a good state of conservation,' said Bishweswar Tudu, then Minister of State for Jal Shakti, in a written reply to Lok Sabha on August 1, 2022. Tudu's reply came in response to Rajya Sabha member Dr Ashok Bajpai, who had asked 'whether government is aware that for want of a dam/barrage on river Yamuna, there is a threat to the stability of the foundation of the iconic Taj Mahal'.
Hindustan Times
16 hours ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Over ₹1,950 cr spent, yet 641 MLD sewage flows untreated Into Yamuna: Govt data
New Delhi, More than 640 million litres of sewage continues to flow untreated into the Yamuna river every day despite the completion of nine major projects under the Namami Gange Programme in Delhi, according to government data shared in Lok Sabha on Thursday. Over ₹ 1,950 cr spent, yet 641 MLD sewage flows untreated Into Yamuna: Govt data In a written reply, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Raj Bhushan Choudhary, said Delhi generates approximately 3,596 million litres per day of sewage. The Delhi Jal Board operates 37 sewage treatment plants with a total installed capacity of 3,474 MLD. As of June 2025, 2,955 MLD was being utilised, Choudhary said. However, only 2,014 MLD of treated sewage from 23 STPs met the discharge standards of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee , while 14 STPs remained non-compliant. About 641 MLD of sewage remains untreated and enters the Yamuna or its drainage network, the minister said in the reply. The Central Pollution Control Board is monitoring water quality at four locations in Delhi Palla, Nizamuddin, Okhla Barrage, and Asgarpur. While the river at Palla showed relatively better water quality, data from January to June 2025 indicated critically high levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand and faecal coliform downstream. At Nizamuddin, BOD levels ranged between 37 and 52 mg/L while faecal coliform counts went up to 7.9 lakh MPN/100 ml. At Okhla Barrage, BOD values reached 50 mg/L and faecal coliform peaked at 9.2 lakh MPN/100 ml, the minister said. Asgarpur recorded the worst contamination, with BOD levels up to 72 mg/L and faecal coliform touching 1.6 crore MPN/100 ml. The prescribed limits for river water are BOD below 3 mg/L and faecal coliform under 2,500 MPN/100 ml. MPN/100 ml stands for Most Probable Number per 100 millilitres, which is a statistical method used to estimate the number of bacteria or microorganisms in a water sample, specifically when direct counting is difficult or not feasible. The CPCB also conducted annual inspections of Grossly Polluting Industries along the Yamuna in Delhi. In 2024, 189 GPIs were inspected, of which 158 were operational and 31 were self-closed. Among the operational units, 49 were found non-compliant with the discharge norms or lacked valid consent to operate. These were served with 40 show-cause notices and nine closure directions by the concerned pollution control boards. Under the Namami Gange Programme, nine projects with a combined sanctioned cost of ₹1,951.03 crore have been completed in Delhi, creating a sewage treatment capacity of 1,268 MLD, government data showed. The major works included construction of 564 MLD and 318 MLD treatment plants and rehabilitation of trunk sewers and rising mains. Since January 2025, a total of ₹140 crore has been allocated for Yamuna cleaning efforts in Delhi, out of which ₹108.31 crore has been utilised. The Jal Shakti Ministry said the cleaning of Yamuna is an ongoing process, with financial support extended to the states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Around 74% of 1,087 monitored wells in Karnataka showed rise in groundwater level: Minister
The Union Jal Shakti Ministry has said that 74% of the 1,087 monitored wells in Karnataka have registered a rise in groundwater level in a span of one decade. On July 24, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Choudhary gave this information to Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Member of Parliament Kota Srinivas Poojary in response to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha on declining groundwater levels in Karnataka. The Minister said the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) monitors groundwater levels throughout the country four times every year. The district-wise groundwater level data measured during post-monsoon 2024 (November) in Karnataka indicated around 96% of the measured wells have shown water levels in the range of 0-10 metres below ground level, indicating ease of access to groundwater. Decadal mean Mr. Choudhary said district-wise groundwater level data of November 2024 was compared with the decadal mean of November month of 10 years (2014-2023). The analysis indicated that around 74% of the wells monitored (1,087) have registered a rise in groundwater level. Of the 1,087 wells, 611 (56.21%) have shown 0-2 metre rise; 127 (11.68%) shown 2-4 metre, and 66 (6.07%) wells have shown more than 4 metre rise. On the other hand, 242 (22.6%) wells have recorded 0-2 metre fall in the level while 26 (2.39%) wells have recorded more than 4 metre fall in the level, the Minister said. 16.66 lakh water structures The Minister said the government is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan across India since 2019 for harvesting rainfall and taking up water conservation activities. JSA was an umbrella campaign under which various groundwater recharge and conservation work was being undertaken in convergence with various Central and State schemes. 'As per the information available on JSA dashboard, a total of around 16.66 lakh water conservation and artificial recharge structures have been constructed or renovated in Karnataka since 2021. Additionally, 31 Jal Shakti Kendras have been set up at each district for dissemination of water-related knowledge and consultation by citizens,' he said. Karnataka is one among seven states where Atal Bhujal Yojna, a community-led scheme for participatory groundwater management on demand-side management, is being implemented in 80 water-stressed districts. As many as 4,056 Amrit Sarovars were either constructed or rejuvenated in Karnataka under Mission Amrit Sarovar that aims to rejuvenate at least 75 water bodies in each district. The Central and the State governments have spent ₹9,148 crore on water conservation, groundwater recharge and rainwater water harvesting activities from April 2021 to July 2025, he added.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Gujarat CM inaugurates projects worth Rs 73 crore; hails Surat for acing Super Swachh League
To mark Urban Development Year 2025, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated various projects worth an estimated Rs 73.01 crore in different zones and laid the foundation stone for projects worth around Rs 362.45 crore, in Surat on Saturday. With Surat city acing the Super Swachh League as the cleanest city in India, CM Patel congratulated the sanitation workers. On the occasion, Union Minister for Jal Shakti C R Paatil said, 'Surat city is marching ahead and is a source of inspiration for other cities in the country.' Congratulating the sanitation workers along with officers and employees of the civic body, he appealed to the citizens to continuously maintain the achievements made in the field of cleanliness. The Union minister said, 'Surat has done good work in rainwater harvesting with the people of the community and Rajasthani businessmen playing an important role in Jan Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB). Under the rainwater harvesting initiative, a total of 32 lakh structures have been constructed across 33 states and 611 districts in India. Under Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari-2, which started on June 1 this year, Gujarat stood in first position, while in Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari-1, it clinched the 6th position. In the JSJB-1, Banaskantha, which falls within the dark zone and is a dry area, has worked exponentially well. With the help of Banas Dairy Chairman Shanker Chaudhary, over 27,000 structures for Jal Sanchay were made in the district. Farmers paid 50%, and the remaining one was paid by Banas dairy in JSJB-1.' CM Patel has allocated a budget of Rs 50 lakh to the MLAs to accelerate the water conservation campaign launched under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Paatil said. Addressing the gathering, CM Patel said, 'Suraksha and salamati paya ni pehli sharat chhe (Safety and security are the first basic conditions). PM Modi has given top priority to the country's security and the safety of its people.' He said, 'Under the leadership of PM Modi, the Indian Army has achieved resounding success in terms of surgical strikes, air strikes and recently, Operation Sindoor.' Keeping in mind the vision of PM Modi's Developed India-2047, he said, 'To raise the standards of ease of living in Surat, the foundation stone and inauguration of different development projects were done in Surat today. SMC is constantly striving to provide excellent infrastructure and basic facilities to the citizens. As part of the development works, tree plantation has been undertaken under the Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam Abhiyan to preserve the environment. The Catch the Rain Abhiyan has been undertaken to prevent water problems in the future.' He said, 'Surat has the longest BRTS corridor in India, measuring 108 km. Under this, it is the first city in India to operate 100% electric buses. The participation of every citizen of Gujarat is necessary to develop Surat as a growth hub and become a world-class city.' The programme also included the launch of the logo for the Surat Gender and Inclusion Lab under the Sustainable Urban Mobility — Air Quality, Climate Action, and Accessibility (SUM-ACA) project with GIZ-Germany. Besides, three digital tools – E-Bus Planning and Optimization Tool, E-Bus Scheduling Tool, and Bus Key Performance Indicator Dashboard Tool – were launched. They have been developed in collaboration with GIZ-Germany to make the public transport service of Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) effective. At the event, two films narrating the development and growth story of Surat were screened. At the event, CM Patel also watched a performance put together by the students of the AI (Artificial Intelligence) Lab at Suman School, which the Surat civic body runs. Besides, he conducted a computerised draw system of 1,494 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna at Bhestan, Palanpur and Bhesan, from Sanjiv Kumar Auditorium in Surat.
NDTV
7 days ago
- General
- NDTV
Over 80% of Rural Indian Families Now Have Access to Piped Drinking Water
New Delhi: Marking a significant achievement in rural water infrastructure, the Centre's flagship initiative, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal, has reached a key milestone. As per data provided by States and Union Territories up to July 22, 2025, over 80.94% of rural households in India now have access to piped drinking water. According to V Somanna, Minister of State for Jal Shakti in Parliament, when the mission was launched in August 2019, only 3.23 crore - or 16.7% - households had tap water connections. Since then, an additional 12.44 crore households have been connected, bringing the total to 15.67 crore rural households out of 19.36 crore nationwide. Originally planned for the 2019-2024 period, the Jal Jeevan Mission - which is implemented in partnership with states and UTs - has been extended until 2028, following an announcement in the 2025-26 Union Budget. The mission has also received increased funding, and a new goal has been established to achieve 100% household tap water coverage within three years. Some States Get Full Marks So far, 11 States and UTs have achieved 100% tap water coverage for rural households: Goa, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu, Haryana, Telangana, Puducherry, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh Other states that have shown commendable progress include Uttarakhand, with 97.6% coverage, Ladakh, with 96.88% and Bihar with 95.7%. Seven states now have over 90% of their rural households connected to tap water. Certain states are still experiencing delayed progress. As of July 21, 2025, only 54.66% of rural households in Kerala had access to tap water connections. States like Rajasthan, West Bengal and Jharkhand are also progressing slowly in terms of rural tap water coverage under the initiative. But states like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh made significant progress under the scheme. At the inception of the Mission, only 13.53 lakh rural households in Madhya Pradesh had tap water connections. By July 21, 2025, 78.56 lakh households had water connections. Similarly, Uttar Pradesh had 5.16 lakh rural households in 2019 which had risen to 2.4 crore by July 23 this year. According to the Jal Shakti Ministry, Rs 3,881.88 crore from central government allocations is available under JJM. The highest allocations - Rs 970 crore and Rs 688 crore - are for Maharashtra and Karnataka. These funds will continue to support infrastructure development, pipeline expansion, and water quality monitoring in rural areas of India.
