NATIONAL GANGA RIVER BASIN AUTHORITY (NGRBA) Public Disclosure Authorized (Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India) Public Disclosure Authorized Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) Public Disclosure Authorized Volume I - Environmental and Social Analysis March 2011 Prepared by Public Disclosure Authorized The Energy and Resources Institute New Delhi i Table of Contents Executive Summary List of Tables ............................................................................................................... iv Chapter 1 National Ganga River Basin Project ....................................................... 6 1.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Ganga Clean up Initiatives ........................................................................... 6 1.3 The Ganga River Basin Project.................................................................... 7 1.4 Project Components ..................................................................................... 8 1.4.1.1 Objective ...................................................................................................... 8 1.4.1.2 Sub Component A: NGRBA Operationalization & Program Management 9 1.4.1.3 Sub component B: Technical Assistance for ULB Service Provider .......... 9 1.4.1.4 Sub-component C: Technical Assistance for Environmental Regulator ... 10 1.4.2.1 Objective .................................................................................................... 10 1.4.2.2 Four Investment Sectors ............................................................................ 11 1.4.2.3 The Framework Approach ........................................................................ 11 1.4.2.3.1 Framework Criteria .................................................................................... 11 1.4.2.4 Innovative Pilots ........................................................................................ 13 1.4.2.5 Investment Execution................................................................................. 13 1.4.2.6 Rehabilitation of existing infrastructure ................................................... 13 1.5 Environmental&Social Analysis &Management Framework (ESMF) ..... 13 Chapter 2 Environmental Profile of Ganga Main Stem........................................ 17 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 17 2.2 The Ganga Main Stem ............................................................................... 17 2.3 The River ................................................................................................... 20 2.4 Stream and Flow Characteristics of Ganga ................................................ 23 2.5 Physiography and Soil Characteristics....................................................... 25 2.6 Meteorology and Climate .......................................................................... 31 2.7 Land Use & Irrigation ................................................................................ 34 2.8 Major/ Medium Water Resources projects in the Basin ............................ 37 2.9 Groundwater .............................................................................................. 42 2.10 Water Logging and Salinity Problems ....................................................... 45 2.11 Land Degradation: Ganga main stem ........................................................ 47 2.12 Vegetation and Forests ............................................................................... 48 2.13 Biological Profile of the Ganga* ............................................................... 52 2.14 Sensitive Environmantal Habitats .............................................................. 55 2.14.1.1 Biosphere Reserves .................................................................................... 55 2.14.1.2 National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries ................................................... 57 2.14 Summary .................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 3 Social Analysis ........................................................................................ 77 3.1 Socio-economic profile of Ganga main stem ............................................. 77 3.1.7.1 The Status of Women................................................................................. 89 3.1.7.2 Female Work Participation Rate and the Gender Gap in Work ................. 90 3.1.7.3 Gender Disparity in Sex ............................................................................. 91 3.1.8.1 Female Literacy Rate ................................................................................. 92 3.1.9.1 Mean age of Marriage among Women ...................................................... 93 3.1.9.2 Total Fertility Rate and Anemia among Women ...................................... 94 ii 3.1.9.3 Median age of first birth for women ......................................................... 95 3.1.9.4 Couple Protection Rate .............................................................................. 95 3.1.9.5 Awareness about HIV/AIDS...................................................................... 96 3.1.9.6 Spousal Violence ....................................................................................... 96 3.1.9.7 Women‟s Participation in Decision-making .............................................. 97 3.1.10.1 Historical Trends ........................................................................................ 99 3.1.10.2 Recent Estimates of Income and Poverty ................................................ 100 3.1.10.3 Poverty at the State Level ....................................................................... 102 3.1.10.4 Poverty within project states .................................................................... 105 3.1.10.5 Specific Activities and Impacts on Poverty/Livelihoods ......................... 108 3.1.12.1 Economic Importance .............................................................................. 116 3.1.12.4 Tourism .................................................................................................... 116 3.2 Cultural Practices of Communities .......................................................... 125 3.3 Vulnerable Communities ......................................................................... 133 3.4 Key Stakeholders ..................................................................................... 135 3.5 Key social and cultural issues .................................................................. 136 Chapter 4 Sources of Pollution in Ganga ............................................................ 138 4.1 General ..................................................................................................... 138 4.2 Point Sources of Polution......................................................................... 140 4.2.1 Domestic wastewater discharges ............................................................. 140 4.2.2 Industrial Wastewater .............................................................................. 146 4.3 Non-Point Sources of Pollution ............................................................... 148 4.3.1 Agricultural Sources ................................................................................ 148 4.3.2 Municipal Solid Wastes ........................................................................... 148 4.3.3 Other non-point sources ........................................................................... 150 4.4 Government Initiatives in Pollution Abatement ...................................... 150 4.5 Water Quality of River Ganga ................................................................. 152 Chapter 5 Limiting Factors in Environmental&Social Analysis ...................... 158 5.1 Environmental Profile .............................................................................. 158 5.1.1 The Ganga Basin ...................................................................................... 158 5.1.2 Land use ................................................................................................... 158 5.1.3 Irrigation .................................................................................................. 159 5.1.4 Water logging, Salinity and Land Degradation problems ....................... 159 5.1.5 Vegetation and Forest .............................................................................. 159 5.1.6 Sensitive Environment Habitats ............................................................... 159 5.1.7 Socio-Economic Profile ........................................................................... 160 5.1.8 Issues of Water Quality and Pollution Sources ........................................ 160 iii List of Tables Table 2.1 Catchment Area of Major River Basins of India ..................................... 18 Table 2.2 State-wise Distribution of the Drainage Area of Ganga River in India ... 20 Table 2.3 Mean Annual Flow of Streams in Ganga main stem ............................... 23 Table 2.4 Stream Characteristics along Different Sections of the Ganga ................ 24 Table 2.5 Soil Types in Ganga main stem and their Susceptibility to Erosion (Area in Square Kilometres) .............................................................................