In a major boost to Clean Ganga mission, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated a sewage treatment plant in Dinapur, Varanasi. Built at a cost of Rs 235.35 crore, the project will treat 14 crore litres of wastewater everyday. The project is located approximately 7 km from Varanasi. The project is designed and built by Indian company Wabag which deals in water treatment sector globally. In addition to design and build, Wabag will also be responsible to operate and maintain the facility for a period of 10 years.

The treatment plant employs activated sludge process and is powered by biogas, significantly reducing the carbon footprint apart from lowering operational cost. This is in line with PM Modi's vision to power India through green energy. The project funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is the first and the largest sewage treatment project implemented under the "Namami Gange" mission.

The CEO of Va Tech Wabag's India cluster, Pankaj Sachdeva said, "As an Indian multinational, we are very proud to be part of the mission to clean the holy Ganga, which is considered sacred and a lifeline to millions. We are happy that this marquee project implemented by Wabag, is being dedicated to the nation by our Honourable Prime Minister under the 'Clean Ganga' mission which is dear to his heart, which will clean 14 crore litres of wastewater every day"

Another projects in Wabag's kitty under Namami Gange scheme is an order worth Rs 147 crore by Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation towards designing, building and operating a sewage treatment plant at Pahari, Patna. The project will be jointly financed by World Bank and National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).

Modi government had launched the Namami Gange programme in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs 20,000 crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of the Ganges.