Kolkata’s Adi Ganga set to get a facelift - GetBengal story
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has initiated a ₹700 crore project to revive the Adi Ganga, or Tolly's Nullah, in a significant move towards environmental rejuvenation.
The Adi Ganga was a prospering river at one point in time, but now it has undergone extensive pollution and encroachment over the years. Restoring the environment of the canal to its pristine form and making the life standards of people who reside on its banks better are the targets of this ambitious three-year initiative.
Thousands of residents across 28 KMC wards and three Rajpur-Sonarpur municipality wards are expected to gain from the project. The project plans to revive the ecological status and historical value of the Adi Ganga by effectively treating and diverting the untreated sewage from the canal.
It is one of the projects under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) of the Namami Gange Programme, supported heavily with World Bank funding. EMS Ltd, which is a Ghaziabad water and sewerage infrastructure firm, has been declared the lowest bidder for the ₹681 crore tender issued by the KMC. It is the responsibility of the company to design, construct, test, and commission infrastructure required, including operating and maintaining facilities for a period of 15 years from the date of completion.
The Adi Ganga is of great historical and cultural significance, having been a main course of the Ganges River in the past. With time, uncontrolled pollution and encroachments have turned it into a highly polluted canal. The restoration project not only seeks to restore the ecological balance of the canal but also to conserve its cultural heritage.
Today, a year after the announcement of the project in 2024, the revitalization of the Adi Ganga is a reflection of Kolkata's increasing dedication to environmentally friendly urban development. Adi Ganga is also set to reanimate a forgotten waterway while encouraging other such urban green efforts across India.
