The environment ministry on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with a consortium of seven IITs to prepare a comprehensive basin management plan for rejuvenation of river Ganga.
"It's a unique initiative. I expect the project will build human resources in this area in the IITs. The next generation of water resources experts should be developed through this project.
"That is why I preferred going to the IIT consortium rather than to a consulting company, which was the original plan," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told reporters here after the signing of the MoU.
Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal said that it was a project that serves global interest, besides having inter-sectoral impact. "This will be actually a road map on how to deal with basin of other rivers as well," he said.
The Rs 15 crore management plan is being prepared under the National Ganga River Basin Authority -- headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and which includes chief ministers of the states through which the river flows.
It is expected to outline comprehensive measures for restoration of the Ganga, which has been declared as the national river this year, with regard to the issue of water use in the river basin, and will be completed within 12-18 months.
The seven IITs will have an ongoing association with Mission Clean Ganga, which aims at ensuring that no untreated sewage enters the river 2020.
The work would broadly be undertaken by many thematic groups, each involving various tasks such as preparation of geo-spatial database management, water resources engineering, fluvial geomorphology (effective stream channel management) and socio-cultural aspects.
source:Decan Herald 8 July 2010
"It's a unique initiative. I expect the project will build human resources in this area in the IITs. The next generation of water resources experts should be developed through this project.
"That is why I preferred going to the IIT consortium rather than to a consulting company, which was the original plan," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told reporters here after the signing of the MoU.
Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal said that it was a project that serves global interest, besides having inter-sectoral impact. "This will be actually a road map on how to deal with basin of other rivers as well," he said.
The Rs 15 crore management plan is being prepared under the National Ganga River Basin Authority -- headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and which includes chief ministers of the states through which the river flows.
It is expected to outline comprehensive measures for restoration of the Ganga, which has been declared as the national river this year, with regard to the issue of water use in the river basin, and will be completed within 12-18 months.
The seven IITs will have an ongoing association with Mission Clean Ganga, which aims at ensuring that no untreated sewage enters the river 2020.
The work would broadly be undertaken by many thematic groups, each involving various tasks such as preparation of geo-spatial database management, water resources engineering, fluvial geomorphology (effective stream channel management) and socio-cultural aspects.
source:Decan Herald 8 July 2010
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