To help in the conservation of the Satluj and Beas rivers, pollution abatement schemes have been sanctioned in 14 towns of Punjab at a cost of Rs. 717 crore under the centrally-sponsored National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), and sewage treatment capacity of over 648 million litres per day has also been created in these towns. This was stated by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Rattan Lal Kataria, in response to concerns about polluted water being discharged into the Satluj and its tributaries and then released into canals of Rajasthan through the Harike Barrage, on the confluence of the Satluj and Beas in Punjab. These sewage treatment plants are being installed in cities like Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Kapurthala, Phillaur, Phagwara and Sultanpur Lodhi.