21st Central Monitoring Committee Reviews State-wise Progress on Polluted River Stretches and Sewage Management Secretary, DoWR, RD & GR, urges to adopt time-bound action and strengthen STP performance and monitoring The 21st Meeting of the Central Monitoring Committee (CMC) on river rejuvenation was held today under the chairpersonship of Shri V. L. Kantha Rao, Secretary, Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. The meeting was attended by senior officials including Shri Rajeev Kumar Mital, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga, other officials of NMCG, and representatives of State Governments and State Pollution Control Boards. The Committee reviewed the latest status of polluted river stretches based on the CPCB’s 2025 report and examined the progress made by States in implementing approved Action Plans. The Chair underlined that sustainable improvement in river water quality depends not only on the creation of infrastructure but on its effective utilisation, regulatory compliance, and timely project execution. Priority areas highlighted included bridging sewage treatment gaps, improving performance of existing Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), expediting ongoing and tendered STP projects & associated works on developing sewage networks, strengthening industrial pollution control, scaling up reuse of treated wastewater, and accelerating floodplain demarcation. The Secretary also directed the States to enable real-time monitoring to enhance transparency and accountability in pollution control effort. A comparative review of polluted river stretches identified in 2018, 2022, and 2025 showed a continued reduction in the overall number of polluted stretches since 2018. However, the Committee noted that certain States have reported the addition of new polluted stretches and deterioration in specific river segments, calling for focused corrective action. The Committee reviewed progress on sewage treatment plants, capacity utilization, floodplain zoning, reuse of treated wastewater, and institutional monitoring through River Rejuvenation Committees in respect to Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Delhi, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab. The meeting concluded with a call for States to adopt a time-bound, outcome-oriented approach to river rejuvenation, with emphasis on operational efficiency, inter-departmental coordination, and sustained compliance to achieve long-term water quality improvement.