Curbing the flow of pollution into the Ganges River

India’s 2,500 km-long Ganges River is of significant economic, environmental and cultural value. With a population of around 400 million, the river basin is the most populated in the world. It is also among the most polluted. Organic and bacterial pollution continues to negatively impact human health, agriculture, urban services and the environment. To help reverse this trend, our Wastewater experts are implementing sewage improvement projects in Rishikesh and Haridwar, the two cities in the Uttarakhand state that discharge the highest volumes of untreated wastewater into the Ganges.

Tractebel is currently providing consulting services for the implementation of an environmentally friendly urban development program in India’s Ganges River basin. The project comprises the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing wastewater systems in Haridwar and Rishikesh. The purpose is to reduce the volume of untreated wastewater flowing into the Ganges River and to extend and improve the urban population’s sewage infrastructure in the two cities. This initiative will contribute to the goal of the Indo-German Development Cooperation in the urban development sector: sustainable, socially balanced and inclusive urbanization.

Our experts from Germany and India, alongside partner GFA Consulting Group (Germany) were mandated by the the Indian State Program Management Group (SPMG) under the Department of Drinking Water to provide quality services in the revision of design and technical documentation. We will also support tendering and supervision services, overall project management and coordination to achieve project objectives on time and within budget. The project, funded by the by German Financial Cooperation, began in July 2021 and is expected to be carried out over six years.

“The new infrastructure will contribute significantly to the protection of public health through improved sanitation services, preservation of physical assets, improved operations and maintenance capacity and financial sustainability. From an environmental perspective, improved sewage systems will reduce the flow of wastewater into the Ganges River, whose basin sustains over a quarter of India’s total landmass and water resources.” Burkhard Klingenberg, Head of Wastewater Department, Tractebel in Germany

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