Varanasi. The Union Government project- “Namami Gange” worth Rs. 2o,ooo crore, to conserve, clean and rejuvenate the river Ganges seems to have hit the bottom in achieving  its target. According to the data gathered by the NGO Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF), a remarkable increase has been observed in coliform bacteria and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) which are considered as important parameters to check the sanitary quality of water.  

SMF, a Varanasi based NGO has been devoted to cleaning the pollution of Ganges and closely monitoring the quality of the river since the launch of the Ganga Action Plan by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi  in 1986.

SMF analysis the sample of Ganges water on a regular basis in its own laboratory and has been serving as a watchdog for the cause of Ganga.

This National Mission to clean Ganges was launched in May 2015, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had set 2019 as a deadline to achieve results on the cleanliness of river Ganga. Last year, the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari extended the deadline to March 2020.

Earlier his month, the National Green Tribunal directed the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Pollution Control Boards to display, on monthly basis, the quality of Ganga river at all the main locations, to indicate whether or not the river water is fit for drinking and bathing.