World Bank to Lend US$1 Billion for Ganga River Clean Up

Dec. 3 – The World Bank has agreed to loan US$1 billion to India for the clean up of the Ganga river, one of the most polluted in the world.

The Ganga or Ganges river is the one of the country’s major rivers; considered holy by Hindus. The US$1billion loan is part of the total US$4 billion forecast budget to rehabilitate the river from sewage and industrial waste by 2020.

“World Bank has been engaged for a long-term support of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), a body headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for cleaning up the river in a much more systematic manner,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh told The Economic Times.

He said the government is in the process of securing a five to seven year loans with the bank with the final approval expected to come in December.

Authorities have been trying to clean the river for more than two decades now spending US$213 million in rehabilitation efforts.

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