The 21st meeting of the Central Monitoring Committee (CMC) on river rejuvenation was held on Monday under the chairpersonship of V. L. Kantha Rao, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Senior officials, including Rajeev Kumar Mital, Director General of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), representatives of State Governments and State Pollution Control Boards, and other officials attended the meeting.
The Committee reviewed the latest status of polluted river stretches based on the 2025 report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). It assessed the progress made by States in implementing approved Action Plans to address river pollution.
During the meeting, the Chair emphasised that sustainable improvement in river water quality depends not merely on creating infrastructure but on effective utilisation, regulatory compliance, and timely execution of projects.
A comparative review of polluted river stretches identified in 2018, 2022, and 2025 indicated a continued overall reduction since 2018. However, the Committee noted that some States have reported new polluted stretches and deterioration in specific river segments, underscoring the need for focused corrective measures.
Key priority areas highlighted during the review included bridging sewage treatment gaps, enhancing the performance of existing Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), expediting ongoing and tendered STP projects along with sewage network development, strengthening industrial pollution control, scaling up reuse of treated wastewater, and accelerating floodplain demarcation.
The Secretary also directed States to enable real-time monitoring systems to improve transparency and accountability in pollution control efforts.
The progress of sewage treatment capacity, capacity utilisation, floodplain zoning, wastewater reuse, and institutional monitoring through River Rejuvenation Committees was reviewed for Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.
Concluding the meeting, the Committee urged States to adopt a time-bound and outcome-oriented strategy for river rejuvenation. It stressed the importance of operational efficiency, inter-departmental coordination and sustained regulatory compliance to achieve long-term improvement in water quality across river basins.
