Pollution of the Ganges
The ongoing pollution of the Ganges, the largest river in the India, poses a significant threat to both human health and the environment.
[11] The proposed solutions include demolishing upstream dams to allow more water to flow into the river during the dry season, constructing new upstream dams or coastal reservoirs to provide dilution water during the dry season, and investing in substantial new infrastructure to treat sewage and industrial waste throughout the Ganges' catchment area.
[16] There are numerous industrial cities on the banks of the Ganges, such as Kanpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Patna, along with tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals.
Traditional beliefs hold that being cremated on its banks and floating down the Ganges will cleanse the sins of the deceased and carry them directly to salvation.
[6] Built in 1854 during British rule in India, the Haridwar Dam has contributed to the decay of the Ganges by significantly reducing the river's flow.
[22] The dams at Bijnor and Narora divert all the water, including base flows during the dry season, to canals for irrigating areas up to Allahabad city.
[26] This could be achieved by constructing storage reservoirs with a capacity of 100 Tmcft across the Ganges' tributaries upstream of Narora city and reserving the stored water solely for minimum environmental flows.
[27] Additionally, a series of cascading dam bridges should be constructed across the river from Kanpur to Allahabad to increase the surface area of impounded polluted water and serve as natural oxidation ponds.
Hydroelectric and irrigation dams along the Ganges, which prevent the dolphins from traveling up and down the river, are considered the main reason for their declining numbers.
[1] Due to their long lifespan and high trophic level in the aquatic food web, these turtles are particularly susceptible to heavy metal pollution, a major issue in the Ganges.
[2] An analysis of Ganges water in 2006 and 2007 revealed significant associations between water-borne diseases and the use of the river for bathing, laundry, washing, eating, cleaning utensils, and brushing teeth.
[30] Water from the Ganges has been linked to dysentery, cholera, hepatitis,[17] and severe diarrhea, which remains one of the leading causes of death among children in India.
After a long struggle, British India agreed on 5 November 1914 to the Ganga Mahasabha's request, recognizing that the uninterrupted flow of the Ganges is a fundamental right of Hindus.
The main objective was to improve water quality through the interception, diversion, and treatment of domestic sewage and to prevent toxic and industrial chemical wastes from identified polluting units from entering the river.
The NRAP draws on the lessons learned and experiences gained from the GAP, as well as seeking input from State Governments and other concerned Departments and Agencies.
[42] The National Ganges River Basin Authority (NGRBA) was established by the Central Government of India on 20 February 2009 under Section 3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
[45] In 2010, it was announced that "the Indian government has embarked on a $4 billion campaign to ensure that by 2020 no untreated municipal sewage or industrial runoff enters the 1,560-mile river.
"[46] A World Bank spokesman described the plan in 2011, saying: Earlier efforts to clean the Ganges concentrated on a few highly polluting towns and centres and addressed 'end-of-the-pipe' wastewater treatment there; Mission Clean Ganga builds on lessons from the past, and will look at the entire Gangetic basin while planning and prioritising investment instead of the earlier town-centric approach.
[45] The lobby group Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF) "is working with GO2 Water Inc., a Berkeley, California-based wastewater technology company," to design a new sewage treatment system for Varanasi.
The Ministry of Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation proposed to make 1,674 gram panchayats along the Ganges open defecation-free, at a cost of ₹1,700 crore (central share).
Additionally, Urban Development (UD), Drinking Water & Sanitation (DWS), and Environment, Forests & Climate Change (EF&CC) will also be involved in the program.
"Namami Gange" will focus on pollution abatement interventions, primarily through the interception, diversion, and treatment of wastewater flowing through open drains.
[54][55] Nepal has constructed many barrages (excluding joint projects with India) and pump houses to divert river flows during the lean season for irrigation purposes.
The annual water inflows from the catchment area of Manasarovar Lake, located at 4,590 metres (15,060 ft) above mean sea level, can be diverted by gravity to the Karnali River basin in China through a 15-kilometer long tunnel.
This would be a joint project involving China, Nepal, and India to control river water pollution and ensure the Ganges flows throughout the year.
[68] In early 2011, a Hindu monk named Swami Nigamananda Saraswati fasted to death, protesting against the pollutive riverbed quarrying of the Ganges in the district of Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
[70] According to administration officials, quarrying in the Ganges will now be studied by a special committee, which will assess its environmental impacts on the river and surrounding areas.
G. D. Agrawal was an environmental activist and patron of Ganga Mahasabha, an organization founded by Madan Mohan Malviya in 1905, which demanded the removal of dams on the Ganges.
[71] With support from other social activists like Anna Hazare, the then-Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, agreed to Agrawal's demands.
"[2] Agrawal died on 11 October 2018, after being on an indefinite fast since 22 June 2018, demanding that the government act on its promises to clean and save the Ganges.
