The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) today approved a Rs 497 crore project under Mission Clean Ganga of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) for Varanasi. The project will set up a sewage treatment plant of 140 million liters per day capacity, lay 34 kms of sewers, rehabilitate existing sewerage systems, construct 3 new pumping stations, build community toilet complexes, renovate 26 selected ghats, develop 7 dhobi ghats and build capacity for public participation and awareness.

The central government will provide Rs 428 crore (85%) and the government of Uttar Pradesh (UP) will provide Rs 69 crore (15%) of the project cost. The project will be executed by the UP Jal Nigam and the Varanasi Nagar Nigam over a five year period with the environment ministry monitoring implementation through a tripartite Memorandum of Agreement between the ministry itself, the state government and the urban local body. The Indian government has taken a soft loan of about Rs 550 crore from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the project repayable over 40 years at 0.75% interest rate with an initial grace period of 10 years.

Jairam Ramesh, minister of state for environment and forests said that the project is significant since it is the first in a series that will be based on requirements of population in 2025-2030. Normally, such projects are planned keeping existing demand in mind but the NGRBA is looking at future population and formulating sewerage treatment facilities.

The NGRBA is also supporting alternative technology in Varanasi through a local NGO the Sankat Mochan Foundation. Two technologies---advanced integrated wastewater pond system and micro-tunneling for the ghat area—are being experimented with. 

Earlier the CCEA had cleared a similar Rs 305 crore project for Allahabad. The NGRBA has so far approved 3 projects amounting to Rs 240 crore in Bihar, Rs 105 crore in West Bengal and Rs 65 crore in Uttarakhand.