Survey of India to help Clean Ganga mission with GIS data

New Delhi: The National Mission for Clean Ganga has brought on board Survey of India, to facilitate Ganga rejuvenation by using the Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, for which an estimated Rs 86.84 crore has been approved.

The project includes the use of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) technology which ensures accurate data collection, an important aspect of river basin management planning.

The digital technology enables identification of topography of an area making it easy for policymakers to analyse available data for decision-making processes, officials sources said. Critical hotspots are also easily identified through this technology.

Discharge of sewerage and other pollutants from all sources, including domestic, industrial, commercial and other institutions will be mapped from the source outlet up till public drainage network for effective management. In addition, the high-resolution GIS-enabled data will help in regulating the proposed protected and regulatory zones along the banks of the river.

According to the official release, this technology would enable the government to decentralise data information thus collected with states and people through geo-portals and mobile apps.

"To enhance transparency, people would be encouraged to give their feedback. The Mission for Clean Ganga has approved another project to strengthen State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) in the five main Ganga basin states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal so that they can frequently verify the quality of water in the river," the release said.

Identified laboratories would be equipped with advanced instruments and well-trained scientific personnel to carry out pollution assessment and water quality monitoring, it said.

The proposal for strengthening SPCBs was approved at an estimated cost of Rs 85.97 over five years in the 11th Executive Committee meeting of the Mission chaired by its Director-General Rajeev Ranjan Mishra.

Two projects worth Rs 358.43 crore were also approved to develop sewerage infrastructure in Hooghly-Chinsurah and Maheshtala municipalities of West Bengal.