Foreword

Domestic sewage is the most significant contributor of water' pollution in 1 country leading to deterioration of our water bodies. The Ganga Action PI (GAP) was the first major step towards containment of this menace and to restcre the river Ganga. The first phase of GAP witnessed series of sewage treatme plants installed on all major urban agglomerations right from Uttrakhand to We Bengal. The major emphasis was to tap and divert the sewage for irrigation to ti extent possible after treatment and to allow excess treated sewage to enter tt river. The scheme gave some relief to the rivers and provided treated sewage f( irrigation to needy areas. However it has posed problem of contamination i: ground water, soils, crops and health hazard due to in effective operation of sewagl treatment plants in some areas