India’s River‑Cleaning Program Uses Tall Plants and Wetlands to Treat Wastewater

In Muni Ki Reti, Uttarakhand, a vertical plant treats 7.5 million litres of sewage per day on a footprint of about 900 square metres.

Bithoor, Uttar Pradesh, uses six engineered wetlands on existing drains to treat around two million litres daily, showing how natural systems can replace costly sewer networks.

The programme also introduces advanced methods such as electro‑coagulation, food‑chain reactors, and biogas generation, reducing energy use and allowing some plants to produce their own electricity.

Overall, more than 200 projects have been completed, creating over 4,300 million litres per day of treatment capacity and contributing to a cleaner Ganga River.