Projects to revive the upstream migration of Hilsa fish are bearing outcomes, says Jal Shakti Ministry

With a complete of 344 initiatives sanctioned for the Ganga Basin, one undertaking centered on redesigning the navigation lock on the Farakka Barrage (Murshidabad, West Bengal). The ‘fish pass’ sanctioned for the revival of Bengali favourite- Hilsa fish in Ganga, has been beginning to present outcomes, as per reviews.
After a niche of three lengthy many years, Hilsa was caught in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. The change within the gates and fish locks of the Farakka barrage allowed the upstream migration of the fish. In an interview with the Mint the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has said, “Fishermen from Ballia, Patna, Bhagalpur and Sahibganj reported that since last three decades, they had never caught hilsa, but were surprised to catch the Hilsa of 150g to 250g.”
While the numbers are stated to be small, the early indicators of the Hilsa catch are encouraging, stated the report. 
The building of barrages throughout rivers hampered the fish hall obstructing the migration to succeed in its pure breeding floor. Moreover, overfishing, air pollution, diminished water circulation and excessive sedimentation additionally led to the disappearance of the fish. 
Elaborating on the Namami Gange initiatives, Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said to Mint, “We also work on restoring Ganga’s aquatic life. Can you believe that the NMCG is working to ensure that Gangetic Hilsa shall remain in Ganga? We are identifying why Gangetic hilsa numbers have come down, and are working on ways to artificially propagate it upstream of Farakka.”
“The work has started now for the last one-and-a-half to two years or so. The results are coming. They are visible. But, it will still take a long time. We have changed the trend. What was depleting, it has stopped and gone towards increasing. It is a very good sign,” he added. 
What is a fish cross?
1975 constructed Farakka Barrage was reported to have disrupted the Hilsa’s journey, aside from considerations concerning floods in areas of Bihar. 
Former Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti in a Lok Sabha session on August 4, 2016, had shared plans to create “fish ladders” to assist the fish navigate the impediment posed by the barrage.
A fish cross or a fish ladder is constructed to help fish in crossing obstacles introduced by dams and barrages. These ladders often encompass small steps that permit the fish to cross over the impediment to succeed in the open waters on the opposite facet.
“The problem is Bangladesh has put a ‘zero net’. The natural breeding used to take place on Bangladesh’s side, and the fish swam upstream. First, this stopped because of the ‘zero net’. Second, the fish lock on our Farakka barrage through which the fish could swim was not operational for the last 10-20 years,” Shekhawat stated on the impediment.
“We are changing all gates, including the fish locks. Around 70% (of the gates) have been changed. We are also changing fish locks so that fish have an opportunity to swim (upstream) naturally. Till the time these activities are completed, we are catching Hilsa downstream of Farakka, acclimatizing them and, after their artificial breeding, tagging the seeds and propagating them so that they swim upstream and multiply. We are getting excellent results, minister Shekhawat stated.” 
Namami Gange initiatives
From beautification of the ghats, to sewerage administration initiatives to reviving the ecosystem, about 147 initiatives underneath the Namami Gange program have been accomplished efficiently. 
The frequent sighting of Gangetic Dolphins is proof of the revival of the river ecosystem. 
On Friday the Executive Committee (EC) of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) accredited new initiatives for the rejuvenation of six polluted river stretches in Uttarakhand. The committee has accredited the Interception and Diversion (I&D), and STP work of six polluted river stretches. 
In one other initiative introduced early this month, the authorities are actually planning to place the huge waste generated by the mules deployed on the Char-Dham Yatra route to make use of as clear vitality. The initiative goals at establishing biogas crops that can convert dung to electrical energy to energy villages of the world. As of now, the Namami Gange officers are in Kedarnath to generate consciousness in regards to the initiative among the many locals.