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Q.1. Which of the following statements about the river ‘Ganga’ is/are true: (1) More than 90% of area of the Ganga basin is in India; (2) The Ganga Basin covers 13 Indian states; (3) The main stem of river Ganga passes through five Indian states.

a. Only 3

b. Only 1 and 3

c. Only 2 and 3

d. Only 1 and 2

Q.2. Which of the following statements is/are true: (1) National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860; (2) It is the implementation arm of the National Ganga Council.

a. Only 1

b. Only 2

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither 1 nor 2

Q.3. Which of the following statements is/are true: (1) National Ganga Council has replaced the National Ganga River Basin Authority under the provisions of Environment Protection Act, 1986; (2) National Ganga Council is under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation; (3) The ‘Namami Gange Programme’ has a budget outlay of Rs. 2, 000 crores; (4) The ‘National Ganga River Basin Project’ is a ‘World Bank’ assisted project.

a. Only 1 and 4

b. Only 1, 2 and 4

c. Only 2 and 4

d. Only 1, 3 and 4

Q. 4. The initiative – ‘Ganga Praharis’ to establish a motivated cadre of persons to support the local level institutions is a combined effort of National Mission for Clean Ganga and:

a. Wildlife Institute of India

b. World Bank

c. National Biodiversity Authority

d. Inland Waterways Authority of India

Q. 5. Which of the following statements is/are correct:

(1) Increased coliform levels is a sign of improvement in the health of the river.

(2) A low biochemical demand indicates high pollution in water.

a. Only 1

b. Only 2

c. Both 1 and 2

d. Neither 1 nor 2 

Answers and explanation-

Q. 1 – a. Only 3

Q. 2 – c. Both 1 and 2

Q. 3 – a. Only 1 and 4

Q. 4 – a. Wildlife Institute of India

Q. 5 – d. Neither 1 nor 2

Ganga basin is the largest river basin in India in terms of catchment area, constituting 26% of the country’s land mass (8,61,404 Sq. km) and supporting about 46% of its population. It touches 118 towns and 1657 Gram Panchayats across 66 districts of 5 states of India. The basin of the river extends over India, Tibet, Nepal and Bangladesh of which about 79% area of Ganga basin is in India. The basin covers 10 states viz., Uttarakhand, U.P., M.P., Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and National Capital Territory of Delhi. The five major states on the main stem of river Ganga are Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. Sources: PIB and National Mission for Clean Ganga. In News: Nearly all Ganga Water in UP-Bengal stretch unfit for drinking, bathing – Livemint.  

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was registered as a society on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act 1860.It acted as implementation arm of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) which was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986. NGRBA has since been dissolved with effect from the 7th October 2016, consequent to constitution of National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga (referred as National Ganga Council) under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Source: National Mission for Clean Ganga. In News: Nearly all Ganga Water in UP-Bengal stretch unfit for drinking, bathing – Livemint.

National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) was constituted under the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA),1986. NGRBA has since been dissolved with effect from the 7th October 2016, consequent to constitution of National Council for Rejuvenation, Protection and Management of River Ganga (referred as National Ganga Council) under the Environment Protection Act, 1986. National Ganga Council is under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. Namami Gange Programme’, is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga. The ‘National Ganga River Basin Project’ is a ‘World Bank’ assisted project. Sources: National Mission for Clean Ganga, National Mission for Clean Ganga & The World Bank. Also read: The World Bank. In News: Nearly all Ganga Water in UP-Bengal stretch unfit for drinking, bathing – Livemint.

To conserve the ecological integrity of the Ganga River, and, reduce the direct dependency of the local communities on the river, the National Mission for Clean Ganga-Wildlife Institute of India (NMCG-WII) project ‘Biodiversity Conservation and Ganga Rejuvenation’ is involving members of the local community in the five Ganga states (Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal) as guardians of the river who will henceforth be known as Ganga Praharis.  Read more at NMCG-WII. In News: Nearly all Ganga Water in UP-Bengal stretch unfit for drinking, bathing – Livemint.

The Central Pollution Control Board guidelines state that water is fit for bathing when the amount of fecal coliform bacteria, found mainly in human faeces, is not more than 2,500 most probable number (MPN) per 100 ml, dissolved oxygen is not more than 5 mg per litre, bio chemical oxygen demand is less than 3 mg per litre and the pH level-measurement of how acidic the water is, is between 6.5 to 8.5. Biological Oxygen Demand is the amount of dissolved oxygen that must be present in water in order for microorganisms to decompose the organic matter in the water. It is a used as a measure of the degree of pollution. The BOD value is most commonly expressed in milligrams of oxygen consumed per litre (mg/L). If the BOD level is higher than 3mg/L, it is unfit for drinking. Therefore, a low BOD is an indicator of good quality water, while a high BOD indicates polluted water. Source: The Hindu and Down To Earth.