The National Mission for Clean Ganga said concession agreements were signed at its headquarters for two sewage treatment plant projects in Uttar Pradesh to strengthen waste water management in Varanasi and Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar. The contracts cover a 60 million litres per day (60 mn) plant at Lohta in Varanasi and a 45 million litres per day (45 mn) plant at Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar. The mission presented the projects as measures to intercept untreated sewage flows and expand local treatment capacity. The Lohta installation will intercept and treat untreated sewage flowing through Durga Drain into the Varuna River, which meets the Ganga near Adi Keshav Ghat, the mission said. Work will focus on interception infrastructure and conveyance to the new plant so sewage that currently bypasses treatment does not reach the river network. The executing agency described the Lohta plant as a critical component in reducing contaminant loads in the Varuna and downstream sections of the Ganga. The 45 mn plant at Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar is designed to address untreated sewage entering the Ganga through Railway Nala and Ganda Nala and to ensure all drains emerging from the town are intercepted and connected to treatment. Both projects will be implemented under a hybrid annuity based public private partnership model and are being executed by Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, with Varanasi Lohta STP Pvt Ltd and Varanasi DDU Nagar STP Pvt Ltd as concessionaires. The Lohta project will include 15 years of operation and maintenance obligations for the concessionaire. The agreements were signed by officials from UP Jal Nigam and the NMCG and by directors of the concessionaire companies in the presence of the NMCG director general, who highlighted the importance of the projects in reducing pollution, improving water quality and strengthening sewage treatment infrastructure. He urged the executing agency and concessionaires to complete the projects ahead of schedule. The mission presented the contracts as another step towards the objectives of Nirmal Ganga, cleaner tributaries and healthier river ecosystems that support wider rejuvenation efforts.