₹43,060 crore Namami Gange: Govt rebuts Bloomberg report, Haridwar clean-up raises new doubts

A decade after the Namami Gange programme was launched, a Bloomberg investigation based on 10 years of satellite data and independent water tests has found that large stretches of the Ganga remain polluted despite the government spending ₹43,060 crore. The government has defended the programme, arguing the investigation does not capture the entire river’s condition, and says water quality has improved in several stretches while sewage-treatment capacity has increased and industrial pollution has declined. However, the government acknowledged that pollution continues in parts of Uttar Pradesh, sewage-treatment capacity remains inadequate in some areas and stronger enforcement is needed.

Separately, an extensive cleaning drive in Haridwar, during an 18-day closure of the Upper Ganga Canal from late October to early November, made the Ganga flow visibly clear through the ghats, with videos of the transformation going viral. Yet newly surfaced videos show plastic bags and discarded clothes floating in the river, raising fresh questions about cleanliness. The exact date and location of the new footage have not been independently confirmed, but with the 2027 Ardh Kumbh approaching, maintaining cleaner ghats and river water will be crucial.