Assessing the Effectiveness of Ganga Rejuvenation and Water Conservation Schemes in Prayagraj City

Abstract

Prayagraj, at the confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna, has been the target of national river and water programmes since 1986, yet city-level appraisal of their effectiveness is scarce. This paper reviews 16 central and state schemes launched between 1986 and 2022 and appraises them with an input–output–outcome framework, rating the strength of evidence for each. Reported figures are cross-checked, where possible, against the 2024 compliance report of the U.P. Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to the National Green Tribunal. Reported fund utilisation is high, averaging 86% across five schemes with Prayagraj-specific figures, and outputs are substantial: ten operational sewage treatment plants (STPs) with 340 MLD of installed capacity, including 72 MLD commissioned under Namami Gange in 2023. Outcomes lag outputs. Sewage generation is 468 MLD, leaving a treatment gap of 128 MLD (27%); 44 of 81 drains remain untapped; the flow reaching STPs is 116% of installed capacity; and ₹129 crore of environmental compensation was imposed on the municipal corporation in 2024. STP effluent met prescribed norms on the sampling day and river water met bathing criteria for BOD and dissolved oxygen, but faecal coliform exceeded the desirable limit at four of five river points. Conservation schemes report outputs such as 200 million litres of rainwater harvested a year, but the reported volumes together equal about 1 MLD, or 0.4% of daily tube-well abstraction, and claimed groundwater improvements of 5–15% lack baselines. Only three of 16 schemes (19%) have outcome evidence that can be independently checked. Reported spending on river-focused programmes is about thirteen times that on groundwater schemes, although groundwater supplies 77% of the city’s piped water. The schemes have been partially effective in building infrastructure but are not yet demonstrably effective in securing outcomes. Outcome-based monitoring, completion of the sewage gap and recharge targets tied to abstraction are recommended.