Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on Implementation of the Namami Gange Programme by Uttarakhand (Report No. 2 of 2025)

What did the audit examine?

The audit examined the implementation of the Namami Gange Programme by Uttarakhand government from 2018 to 2023, focusing on sewage treatment infrastructure, auxiliary initiatives, and water quality monitoring.

Who / what it concerns

Uttarakhand government (specifically the State Mission for Clean Ganga, Uttarakhand Peyjal Nigam, Irrigation Department, Forest Department, Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan, and Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board)

What the auditor found

• State Government did not contribute to improving sewerage facilities in Ganga Front Towns
• Many STPs remain unconnected to household sewer network or only partially connected
• Existing STPs lack sufficient treatment capacity, resulting in untreated sewage discharge into Ganga
• 18 STPs not taken over by maintenance agency due to operational and safety issues
• Proper management of sewage sludge neglected
• State Ganga Committee did not conduct timely safety audits of STPs
• Crematoria constructed remained unutilized due to insufficient public awareness
• Forestry interventions progress was minimal (16% of planned expenditure)
• Solid waste management suffered from inadequate practices, with garbage dumped on river slopes or burned
• STPs did not comply with norms of National Green Tribunal or Government of India
• Water quality in Rishikesh remained in B category from 2019-2023 (except during COVID-19)

Points worth noting

• 18 STPs not taken over by maintenance agency due to operational and safety issues
• STPs lacked sufficient treatment capacity, resulting in untreated sewage discharge into Ganga
• Forestry interventions progress was minimal (16% of planned expenditure)