Govt. sets water flow target for river Ganga

Central Water Commission made designated authority
In a first, the Union government has mandated the minimum quantity of water — or ecological flow as it’s called in scientific circles — that various stretches of the Ganga must necessarily have all through the year. The new norms would require hydropower projects located along the river to modify their operations so as to ensure they are in compliance. In a notification on Wednesday, the National Mission for Clean Ganga has laid down the flow specifications. The upper stretches of the Ganga — from its origins in the glaciers and until Haridwar — would have to maintain: 20% of the monthly average flow of the preceding 10-days between November and March, which is the dry season; 25% of the average during the ‘lean season’ of October, April and May; and 30% of monthly average during the monsoon months of June-September. For the main stem of the Ganga — from Haridwar to Unnao — the notification specifies minimum flow at various barrages: Bhimgoda (Haridwar) must ensure a minimum of 36 cubic metres per second (cumecs) between October-May, and 57 cumecs in the monsoon; and the barrages at Bijnor, Narora and Kanpur must maintain a minimum of 24 cumecs in the non-monsoon months of October-May, and 48 cumecs during the monsoon months. Shashi Shekhar, a former Secretary at the Water Resources Ministry, said while the norms were a good beginning, the targets were low. “These numbers would be revised upwards,” he said.
Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/govt-sets-water-flow-target-for-river-ganga/article25185585.ece

About ChinmayaIAS Academy - Current Affairs

Check Also

Landslide

A landslide, also known as a landslip, is a rapid downward movement of a mass …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Free Updates to Crack the Exam!
Subscribe to our Newsletter for free daily updates