Second National Ganga River Basin Project

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The objective of the Second National Ganga River Basin Project for India is to reduce point-source pollution from targeted Urban Areas of the Ganga river basin and support the Central Ministry to strengthen the institutional framework for Ganga river basin management. The Project has five components. 1. Institutional Development component has four subcomponents. 1.1. Strengthening of the institutional framework for Ganga basin management subcomponent will provide technical and analytical support for the carrying out of a comprehensive analysis of: (a) the functions and mandates of institutions involved with aspects of Ganga river basin management; (b) the relevant laws and regulations; and (c) possible options for NMCG to operationalize its mandate, all taking into account climate change and gender gaps; 1.2. Development and application of tools to monitor and inform decision-making for river basin management subcomponent provides technical and analytical support for: (a) establishing critical tools to improve river basin management and inform decision-making; (b) carrying out a detailed evidence-based, participatory investigation of environmental flow options, for all river reaches across the Ganga basin where substantial flow regime modification has occurred; and (c) strengthening institutional capacity to collate, manage and share data and information on the Ganga basin, including gender disaggregated data, and to implement strategic communications and outreach. 1.3. Support to strengthen Project States governments’ and Urban Local Bodies’ (ULBs’) capacity for wastewater service delivery and river management subcomponent will focus on: (a) Strengthening the capacity of selected States in studying possible options, roles and responsibility sharing between the parastatal Executing Agency (EA) and participating ULBs for Operations and Maintenance (O and M) arrangements of wastewater service delivery with the aim of ensuring long-term sustainability of service delivery; 1.4. Namami Gange Program emergency response preparedness subcomponent will provide technical and analytical support for: the development of: (a) emergency preparedness plans and individual investment levels to respond to an emergency related to a health-crisis of natural disaster; and (b) a set of principles and recommendation to increase resilience of investments implemented under the Namami Gange Program. 2. Infrastructure Development component has four subcomponents. 2.1. Carrying out of Priority Investments selected on the basis of their level of pollution of selected tributaries of the Ganga; 2.2. Carrying out of Priority Investments selected on the basis of their status of implementation and need for further financing; 2.3. Improving investment resilience to COVID-19-like emergency crises; 2.4. Carrying out of Priority Investments selected on the basis of performance-based incentives for ULBs involving measures taken for pollution source prioritization and their performance in strengthening planning, management, and cost recovery of wastewater service delivery to promote holistic approaches at city level. 3. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) Guarantees component guarantees that the aggregate amount will be structured as contract-based payment guarantees to backstop certain payment obligations of the NMCG under three HAM-PPP contracts being financed under Sub-component 2.1. 4. Program Communication and Management component has two subcomponents. 4.1. Program Communication and Outreach subcomponent will focus on developing and carrying out mass media and public outreach campaigns targeting different stakeholders to promote the adoption of behaviors related to achieving and sustaining a clean Ganga. 4.2. Program Management Support subcomponent will focus on supporting management and coordination for the Namami Gange Program and the Project.