Ganga Action Plan
Also called: GAP · Topic: Geographical Issues: Pollution, Urban Waste, Slums and Land Degradation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Drainage System"
Meaning
The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was India's first river-cleaning programme. It was launched in 1985. Its main aim was to catch sewage from towns before it reached the Ganga and to treat it. It had only limited success, because towns grew faster than treatment plants could be built. It was followed by GAP-II, the Yamuna Action Plan (1993), the National Ganga River Basin Authority (2009) and finally the Namami Gange Programme (2014).
Example
Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh was a key target of the plan, because its tanneries and domestic sewage made the Ganga downstream of the city one of the worst stretches. That stretch is still listed as polluted.
Don't confuse with
- Namami Gange Programme: this is the flagship scheme approved in June 2014. It is much wider than GAP and includes river-front development, planting trees along the banks, Ganga Grams and public awareness, along with sewage treatment.