River  Devika  is considered  to be  the sister of the  holy  river  Ganga  and  has  great religious significance. 

 North  India’s  first river  reclamation project, ‘Devika’,  is in  its  final stages and  will  soon  be  dedicated to the  country  by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

 Built on the  ‘Namami Ganga’ line,  the project was launched by the Prime Minister in February 2019. On Sunday, Union Minister of State  Dr.  Jitendra Singh  conducted  an on-site review and  completion of  Devika  River Rehabilitation Project.  

  Singh said there has long  been a  need  for renovation,  rejuvenation  and beautification, but it was only after 2014 that  the first  river rejuvenation project  of its kind  was undertaken in North India on the  Namami  Ganga route. In a review lasting over an hour,  the  Chief  Minister directed  PWD (R&B)  officials  and  Udhampur  Municipal Council  to ensure dedicated  power supply  for uninterrupted power supply, besides maintaining cleanliness  will  and  aesthetics  of the ghat area. 

  Religious  significance and  main  features  of the  Devika project 

  River  Devika  is considered  to be  the sister of the  holy  river  Ganga  and  has  great religious significance. Therefore, the Liquid Waste Management (LWM) project  was  undertaken  specifically  to protect the sanctity of the  sacred  river in Udhampur, Jammu  and  Kashmir. 

 The LWM project with  a  network of pipes and manholes connecting all the households under the project is being constructed by  the  Urban Environmental Engineering Department  (UEED), J&K  to protect its sanctity.  

 Built at a cost of over Rs 190 crore, the sharing of  funds  is in the ratio of 90:10  between  the  center  and  the  UT respectively.  

The Union Minister of State added that in addition to the liquid waste management project,  a  solid waste management  (SWM) project will also be  developed  under  the  Devika  rejuvenation project,  which is  very important  in  terms of  many aspects  to protect  the  sacredness  of  the  river.  

 Notably, the project also includes the construction of  3 wastewater  treatment plants  with a capacity  of 8 MLD, 4  MLD  and 1.6  MLD,  a  129.27  km long drainage network,  development of  2  cremation ghats,  protective fence  and landscaping, small  hydroelectric power plant  and  3 small hydroelectric power plants.  solar power  plant. 

  Once  the  project is completed,  rivers will  have less  pollution and  improved  water quality. 

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