New Delhi. The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the premier higher technical educational institutions of the Ministry of Human Resource Development have committed themselves to the responsibility of development of a management plan of the Ganga river basin called the National Ganga River Basin Management Plan Project (NGBRM). Seven IITs have come together for this purpose. The IITs have accepted this societal challenge as part of their response to the present-day challenges of Indian society.

It is required to ensure that the river Ganga flow must be continuous (Aviral Dhara), the river must have longitudinal and lateral connectivity, the river must have adequate space for its various functions and the river must not be seen as a carrier of waste loads (Nirmal Dhara). The management plan will outline the strategy and the actions that need to be undertaken for the maintenance and restoration of the Ganga basin. The management plan should take into account the constraints of population, urbanization, industrialization and agriculture activities.

The IITs will form several thematic groups and each group will develop a detailed outline for the improvement of ecological health of the basin system. Besides the thematic groups, the IITs will also integrate in a holistic manner, all the issues into a comprehensive management plan. In order to develop this plan, discussions will be held with local, state and other agencies who have to deal with the maintenance of the basin system. The management plan will also take into account the experience of earlier attempts of Ganga Action Plans.

Ministry of HRD and Ministry of Environment & Forests are coming together to support the initiatives of IITs. The work is estimated to be carried out in a period of 18 months. The funding for this project is estimated to be about Rs.15 crores. An agreement has been signed on July 6, 2010 between the Directors of seven IITs and Ministry of Environment & Forests in the presence of Shri Kapil Sibal and Shri Jairam Ramesh. This initiative will involve not only faculty and students of seven IITs but will also take help from experts from other institutes and universities also.