Mammoth waste problem a test of resolve

DAYS after winning a massive electoral mandate in June 2014, the Narendra Modi government took up a “flagship programme” for the “effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation” of the Ganges.

This was followed four months later by the “Clean India Mission”, which saw Modi hitting the streets, swiping away waste with a large broom. A simple Mahatma Gandhi logo was adopted for the government-driven programme.

By 2022, the Clean India Mission was widely described as a failure. And, 10 years after the fanfare with which it was launched, the Ganges remains as filthy as ever as human waste continues to be discharged into the river.