Based on Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) values (a key indicator for organic pollution), 150 river stretches on 121 rivers in the country have been identified by CPCB as polluted.
As per a study carried out by CPCB in 2009-10, against an estimated generation of nearly 38,254 million litres per day (mld) from Class-I cities and Class-II towns of the country, the treatment capacity is available only for 11,787 mld.
As per the MoEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests), the desirable river water quality standards for bathing class are as under-
| Parameter | Criteria/standards |
| pH | 6.5-8.5 |
| Dissolved Oxygen (DO) | 5 mg/l or more |
| BOD | 3 mg/l or less |
| Faecal Coliform | 500 MPN/100 ml (desirable)2500 MPN/100 ml (Maximum permissible) |
As per information available, the Central Water Commission monitors water quality at 390 key locations covering all the major river basins of India.
Under the National River Conservation Plan, following rivers in various states have been covered;
| Sr. No. | State | River |
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | Godavari & Musi |
| 2 | Bihar | Ganga |
| 3 | Delhi | Yamuna |
| 4 | Goa | Mandovi |
| 5 | Gujarat | Sabarmati |
| 6 | Haryana | Yamuna |
| 7 | Jharkhand | Damodar, Ganga & Subarnarekha |
| 8 | Karnataka | Bhadra, Tungabhadra,Cauvery, Tunga & Pennar |
| 9 | Kerala | Pamba |
| 10 | Madhya Pradesh | Betwa, Tapti, Wainganga, Khan, Narmada, Kshipra, Beehar, Chambal & Mandakini. |
| 11 | Mahrashtra | Krishna, Godavari, Tapi and Panchganga |
| 12 | Nagaland | Diphu & Dhansiri |
| 13 | Orissa | Brahmini & Mahanadi |
| 14 | Punjab | Satluj |
| 15 | Rajasthan | Chambal |
| 16 | Sikkim | Rani Chu |
| 17 | Tamil Nadu | Cauvery, Adyar, Cooum, Vennar, Vaigai & Tambarani |
| 18 | Uttar Pradesh | Yamuna, Ganga & Gomti |
| 19 | Uttarakhand | Ganga |
| 20 | West Bengal | Ganga, Damodar & Mahananda |
The cleaning of rivers in India began with the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) which was a flagship 100% centrally funded scheme. It started way back in 1985 and is perhaps more famous for its dismal failure to improve the water quality of the river Ganga.
After launching of National River Conservation Plan in 1995, GAP was merged with NRCP.
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