New Delhi, Jun 13 (PTI) The newly appointed Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil undertook a comprehensive review of the Namami Gange Mission projects, marking his first major action after assuming office.

During the meeting, Paatil officially launched the environmental flows (E-flows) monitoring system, which is an essential element of the Aviral Ganga initiative developed by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), the ministry said in an official statement.

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The review session was attended by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Dr Raj Bhushan Choudhary, Secretary of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation Debashree Mukherjee, Director General of NMCG Rajeev Kumar Mital and other senior officials.

The new system integrates with the PRAYAG portal, which serves as a real-time monitoring hub for various project planning and monitoring activities, river water quality assessments, and other critical parameters, the statement said.

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The portal also features online dashboards, including the Ganga Tarang portal, the project management tool dashboard and the Ganga Districts' Performance Monitoring System.

The E-flow monitoring system is designed to ensure a continuous and sustainable flow of Ganga.

It leverages data from quarterly reports by the Central Water Commission to monitor key parameters such as in-flow, out-flow, and mandated E-flow across 11 projects along the Ganga's main stream.

The system is a significant advancement in real-time water quality analysis for the Ganga, Yamuna, and their tributaries, the ministry said.

Additionally, it tracks the performance of sewage treatment plants (STPs) through the Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring System (OCEMS), ensuring these facilities operate at their rated capacity.

Paatil underscored the importance of completing ongoing projects under the Namami Gange Mission on time.

He stressed the need for innovative solutions to emerging challenges and highlighted a commitment to developing new strategies for regions currently without river rejuvenation programmes.

The review also covered progress in cleaning projects aimed at maintaining the uninterrupted flow and cleanliness of Ganga.

The government mandated the minimum E-flow for various stretches of Ganga in 2018, specifying the flow requirements necessary to preserve the river's ecological balance, protect aquatic life, and ensure sustainable water use, the statement said.

From the upper Ganga basin to its various confluences, stringent measures have been implemented to maintain compliance with E-flow norms, benefiting both existing and future projects. These efforts are crucial in safeguarding the ecological resilience of the Ganga for generations to come, it said.

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