Atulya Ganga Tableau in Republic Day 2023

Credentials of AGP

● Participation of Atulya Ganga tableau in Republic Day Parade 2023. It was gratifying to see National acknowledgement of our efforts of three years by showcasing of our tableau on Republic Day parade.

● Receipt of Green Globe Award from Hon’ble Minister for Road Transport and Highways ,Govt of India on the World Environment Day, 05 June 2023: The award was presented by Shri Nitin Gadkari, at the Green Urja Conclave conducted at IIT Delhi, for outstanding work carried out by AGP for rejuvenation of the rivers of Ganga basin, acknowledging years of efforts put in, especially for Water Quality Mapping of the Rivers Ganga and Yamuna.

● International recognition of development of Water Quality Index. An article on the subject has been published in the October 2022 edition of “Ecological Indicators”, an International publication, in collaboration with the IIT Ropar, Punjab.

● Presentation at the Second UN World Geo-spatial Information Congress (UNWGIC). On invitation, A presentation was made at Hyderabad on 13 October 2022 on our work in application of Geo-spatial methods for river rejuvenation portal

● Extensive, verifiable, annual Pollution Mapping. While on the historic 5,530 km Ganga Parikrama on foot, a dedicated team headed by Maj Gen VK Bhatt, carried out the first season of pollution mapping in 2020-21,geo-tagged 329 sewerage nallahs, and measured quality of Ganga river water samples using field testing kits at 224 locations from its origin to the end of the river. A multiplicative Water Quality Index (WQI) was developed to fix locations of heavily and moderately polluted areas. Ten (10) locations with heavy pollution and 31 locations of poor quality water were identified, brought to the notice of Jal Shakti Ministry and the National Green Tribunal. Concentrating on the critical areas identified in the first season, the second season of of pollution mapping was carried out during November 2022. A comparative analysis of changes in critical areas has been carried out,.

● Pollution mapping of critical areas of River Yamuna including study of micro-plastic pollution in March 2023. Carried out at Yamunanagar, Panipat, Samlekha, Delhi,Mathura, and Agra during 9th to 17th March 2023.Third season of pollution mapping of Ganga is scheduled to be carried out in November 2023.

● Public participation. Through participation of NCC cadets, local youth in parikrama, and cyclothon, reaching out to over one million people of Ganga Basin through our parikrama, and cyclothons, holding on line painiting competition with the support of Army Education Society, and kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, we have developed a rapport with a large section of Ganga Basin populace. We naow plan to take to the next level by hoding talks in 100 schools in 100 towns of India.

● Technical competence. The pollution mapping team is headed by Maj General V K Bhatt, a postgraduate in Environmental Science from Pune University , Post Graduate Diploma holder in Environment Management from Griffith University, Australia, holder of ISO-14000 from NIIT Mumbai, Consultant Environmental Impact Assessment ,who cleaned & brought back garbage from mountains/ peaks of Nanda Devi Sanctuary in 1993, and has published study on restoration of Mula- Mutha river in Pune. Premier Institutes IIT Rupnagar, Punjab, and Delhi Technical University are our partners in this field.

● Vrikshmal, the plantation drive. To address the severe deforestation of Ganga Basin (Tree cover 1.5 to 2%, against a national average of 24%). Plantation and its survival is another pillar of AGP. During the 2020-2021 parikrama, our partner, Green India Foundation, planted over 30,000 trees and appointed vounteer youth care takers. It also created a miniature forest in wastelands in Prayagraj by planting 86,000 trees. Plans at hand to plant trees along Ganga Basin, geo-tag them on dashboard, to monitor survival, and co-opt local youth as care takers.