The prime minister on Tuesday delivered a most disappointing speech at the 3rd National Ganga River Basin Authority meeting.

It promises nothing, says the most discredited IIT Roorkee report (that even the Ministry of Environment and Forests’ Expert Appraisal Committee on River Valley Projects criticized and does not follow) and the report of the Wildlife Institute of India (that his environment minister Jayanti Natrajan refuses to follow) will be their guiding lights and a multi-disciplinary group will now study them!

PM also has hopes from the IIT consortium to provide guidance for future! The consortium that has no track record on either understanding the complex social, cultural, environmental, economic and governance issues that plague the issues related to the state of the river, not does it have track record of taking independent positions on these politically tough issues.

On the deficit of 1,800 MLD treatment capacity of urban sewage (it is a gross underestimate) the only thing he has to offer is money: "There is adequate funding available to create additional treatment facilities under the National Mission Clean Ganga."

On under-utililization of existing sewage, he suggests that it is basically because lack of connection with the sewage and O&M expenses, so he offers relaxation of norms! Neither are really the key problems affecting existing STPs.
 
On persistently polluting industries, he only has a sermon to state government to strengthen enforcement mechanisms... such sermons have come and gone hundreds of times without any impact...

“...to attend to some of the institutional, administrative and financial problems that may be coming in the way of more effective implementation of pollution control and abatement measures", he asks the states to submit reports on urban and industrial pollution and than NGBRA can consider actions! He hints that it is well known what needs to be done, but clearly does not want to do anything...

And of course not a word on the issue of Dams, the biggest threat to the river and all the related problems... Not a word on addressing the governance issues... PM acknowledges, "We should remember that our efforts in the past have not been very successful." but the only thing on offer is "a renewed and sincere commitment in both thought and action to make a definite change in the situation". Unfortunately, in the entire speech there is nothing at all to suggest that he means what he says.

Also read reports:

Time running out for Ganga, PM wants states to do more

PM chairs third meeting of NGRBA