Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti has been tasked by PM Narendra Modi to accomplish his dream of a clean Ganga. In the last four months, the 55-year-old BJP firebrand leader has made cleaning the Ganges her top priority. She is personally reaching out to the five Ganga basin states — Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal — all having non-BJP government to get them on board in fulfilling the cause.
Tell us about the Ganga-cleaning project.
I feel blessed to have been given the task to clean Ganga Maa (Mother). I am studying the technology that was used to clean the Sabarmati. I have been working at a personal level to clean the river for over a decade. My dream is to see Modiji hosting a dignitary or a head of state on the banks of Ganga similar to the hospitality accorded to Chinese President Xi Jingping on the Sabarmati riverfront. What are the tasks before you?
One can’t fix a deadline to river-cleaning. We are making all efforts. A lot of progress should happen in the next 10 years. Cremation material, chemical discharge, Puja material and drains can be stopped from polluting the river in next six months. However, a lot of time is required for maintaining the sewer lines. The lines were laid decades ago and now you have houses, and colonies constructed over them. It is an illegal practice. We need massive planning to sort out the issue. I am pained to see that Yamuna has become almost a nullah. We are reviving it. This was the condition of Sabarmati before Gujarat revived it.
What are the initiatives taken by your ministry?
I have taken the ministry to the states to get the centre-state issue resolved. I have taken the entire bunch of my officials to Uttarakhand to discuss the issues related to Ganga cleaning. Other areas include conservation of water bodies and ground water, the use of latest technology for modernisation of water resources and flood management.
How do you plan to handle the interlinking project?
The first project of interlinking the Ken-Betwa in UP and Madhya Pradesh has been cleared and the detailed project report of two more has been received. We have decided not to touch rivers on the international boundaries and the state opposing it.