Beyond The Banks: How Arth Ganga Is Changing Lives
What if a river could power livelihoods, preserve culture, and heal itself, all at once? That’s the promise of Arth Ganga.
Arth Ganga is a sustainable and viable economic development model aimed at strengthening the connection between people and the river through an economic bridge. Its main pillars include the promotion of natural farming, monetisation and reuse of treated water and sludge from STPs, improvement of livelihood opportunities, and promotion of tourism and cultural heritage.
To address pollution and promote sustainable economic activities in the Ganga basin, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has established Jalaj centres to raise awareness, encourage public participation, and focus on economic activities for river rejuvenation. It has also organised Natural Farming Farmers’ Training workshops in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare along the Ganga basin states.
NMCG has sanctioned a study project titled “Evaluation of Natural Farming Practices on Water and Energy Savings and Enhancement of Soil Fertility & Crop Productivity” to WALAMTARI, Andhra Pradesh, to assess the impact of natural farming on water use, energy efficiency, soil health, and crop yields. Another project, “Exploration of Floral Biodiversity near Ganga Banks for Plant Conservation, Training, and Economic Development of the Region”, has been sanctioned to Patanjali, covering biodiversity documentation and conservation from Gaumukh (Uttarakhand) to Ganga Sagar (West Bengal).
Under the “Jalaj: Connecting River and People to Realize Arth Ganga” project, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, has set up Jalaj centres in models such as dolphin safaris, homestays, livelihood centres, and awareness and sale points to promote eco-tourism, community participation, and conservation awareness.
A capacity building programme sanctioned to the Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization (HESCO) has led to the establishment of one Arth Ganga Centre at Dehradun (Uttarakhand) and three Ganga Resource Centres at Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), Digwara (Bihar), and Sahebganj (Jharkhand). Around 8,000 people were trained in FY 2024–25 under various livelihood programmes.
NMCG has also published the National Framework for Safe Reuse of Treated Water, providing guidelines for state reuse policies and building market and economic models for treated wastewater use. MoUs have been signed for its reuse with the Ministry of Power, Ministry of Railways, and Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
To further strengthen public participation, Jalaj centres also provide market linkages to SHGs, NGOs, and other local groups, while Ganga Praharis, trained community volunteers, work to protect and conserve river biodiversity and cleanliness. A Memorandum of Understanding with ImAvatar supports the promotion of the Arth Ganga initiative with a focus on livelihood generation and public engagement.
Public awareness activities such as Ganga Utsav, Nadi Utsav, cleanathons, plantation drives, Ghat Par Yoga, and Ganga Aartis are regularly organised, supported by dedicated volunteer groups like Ganga Praharis and Ganga Vichar Manch. Progress under the various components of Arth Ganga is reviewed at multiple levels, including by the Empowered Task Force chaired by the Minister of Jal Shakti.
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