Zee Media Bureau/Shruti Saxena

New Delhi: Ganga is considered as the holiest of holy rivers, serving as a gateway for souls to escape the cycle of rebirth and attain salvation. But today, the grim reality is that the sacred river is more like a flowing mess.

Taking the first positive step towards cleaning the holy river, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to rejuvenate it on a priority basis, the Central government has directed to install high-tech sensors at critical points along the Ganga to check the level of discharge of industrial waste into the river from about 700 units. The sensors have to be installed within six months.

The functioning of the sensors is such that they will check the level of discharge of effluents and industry pollutants and will send alerts to a central server if the toxic chemicals cross the permissible level. The data transmitted will be in real time.

The government is also planning to put a strict ban on adverse human activities caused by people living along the river`s course within a stretch of 130 kms beginning form Gomukh to Uttarkashi.

Also, previous studies have revealed that the river water carries poisonous chemicals mainly coming from the Kanpur tanneries. So, the government will ensure special scrutiny for the city of Kanpur.

Earlier in May, Uma Bharti took charge as the Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. Stating that cleaning Ganga is her top priority, Bharti said the holy river will be rejuvenated.

Recently, the Centre gave clearance for six new sewage treatment plants (STPs) as well. Sanctioned under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), the STPs will be set up in Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh; Beur, Karmalichak and Saidpur (Patna) in Bihar; and Budge Budge and Barrackpore in West Bengal.

Apart from this, several other action plans for the cleaning up of Ganga like setting up of toilets in villages and towns, treating industrial effluent and municipal sewage, setting up of crematoriums etc are too lined up under the Clean Ganga mission in the next couple of months.