New Delhi, Oct 9 : The National Mission of Clean Ganga (NMCG) has signed an MoU with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Institute (WASH Institute) to efficiently address Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (FSSM) issues in towns and cities of the Ganga basin. The project that will ensure a series of trainings to enhance the quality of service of officials in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) will be funded by the US AID and supported by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). It aims to improve preparedness towards FSSM and wastewater management in towns and cities, a release from the Jal Shakti Ministry said on Friday. In India, untreated faecal sludge and urban sewage are the primary source of water pollution, particularly in the cities around Ganges. Under Prime Minister's Swachh Bharat Mission, more than 62 lakh toilets were built but half of these toilets rely on on-site sanitation system (OSS). "Managing the waste collected from these toilets is the next big challenge for India," the release said. Considering these challenges, systematic capacity building initiatives needed to be undertaken to build the skill and knowledge of the government, Urban Local Body (ULB) officials, STP/FSTP Operators, sanitary workers, entrepreneurs, NGO professionals and other stakeholders involved in the FSSM sector across India, the release said. As a first step in this collaboration, a webinar followed by two batches of detailed online trainings have already been conducted starting off with the state of Uttar Pradesh covering 20 ULBs. Many more such trainings are planned to cover the Ganga basin states - West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh. Some trainings are also planned in Vijayawada, Bhubaneshwar, Udaipur, Pune, Aurangabad, Chennai, and Hyderabad. Director General, NMCG, Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, said, "There is a huge demand of skilled workforce in FSSM. These tie-up with WASH Institute will help building skilled work force in the area of water and sanitation management." The MoU was signed between Director Coordination, NMCG, Binod Kumar, and Sr. Technical Advisor, WASH Institute, Rajesh Pai. /IANS