Govt details river cleanup measures after Saryu Roy flags pollution in assembly

The state government placed a detailed account of its river pollution control measures before the Assembly after Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Roy raised concerns over untreated waste flowing into the Subarnarekha and Kharkai rivers. Roy sought clarity on whether Ranchi and Jamshedpur continued to discharge sewage into the rivers and questioned the status of treatment plants set up under earlier projects.

Responding to his query, the government said pollution remains a challenge but several sewage treatment facilities are operational or under construction. It informed the House that work on the Harmu river rejuvenation project in Ranchi was completed in October 2018, followed by five years of operation and maintenance by the contractor. A 37 MLD plant at Bargai, built to serve nine municipal wards, is currently functional and releases treated water into Bada Talab. The government added that further arrangements for maintenance are being processed.

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For Jamshedpur and Mango, officials said a survey conducted by a consultant identified 21 drains releasing untreated water into the Subarnarekha. Under Mango Municipal Corporation, nine drains have been mapped and a detailed project report prepared for treatment infrastructure. Tendering has been published for a 1.2 MLD plant to treat three drains in the first phase. For the Jamshedpur urban area, a final DPR for a 44 MLD treatment plant has been submitted and further action is underway.

Roy also asked whether the two municipal bodies had taken concrete steps to check the flow of untreated discharge. The government replied that the proposed network of treatment plants will address the issue once it is built and said implementation is moving forward in stages.

In a separate question, Roy asked the government to release the river management plans prepared for Ranchi and Jamshedpur under national guidelines. The government said the National Mission for Clean Ganga has initiated the preparation of Urban River Management Plans (URMP) for 62 cities in five states. In Jharkhand, Ranchi, Dhanbad, Chas, Adityapur and Sahibganj/Rajmahal have been selected in the first phase.

The National Institute of Urban Affairs and its knowledge partner Alluvium India have been engaged to prepare these plans. Officials added that all 14 Jharkhand towns already part of the River Cities Alliance will have their master plans prepared in phases. These include Ranchi, Dhanbad, Deoghar, Adityapur, Chas, Medininagar, Mango, Giridih, Jamshedpur, Sahibganj, Rajmahal, Jugsalai, Phusro and Chirkunda.

The government’s replies pointed to ongoing work but also highlighted gaps between planning and execution. While new sewage treatment plants are being pushed forward, untreated waste continues to reach Subarnarekha and Kharkai. Roy said the state should place the plans in the public domain and take up implementation on priority.