Ganga is not an ordinary river. It is a life-line, a symbol of purity and virtue for countless people of India. Ganga is a representative of all other rivers in India. Millions of Ganga devotees and lovers still throng to the river just to have a holy dip, Aachman (Mouthful with holy water), and absolve themselves of sins. We Indians are raised to consider Ganga as a goddess, as sacred. We tell our children and grandchildren the stories of how she came down to Earth through a lock of Shiva’s hair. The Ganga temples, countless rituals associated with Ganga and our belief that Ganga is a cleanser par excellence prove that Ganga has a status of a deity. Hundreds of verses have been used to extol her glory and greatness. Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Lord Siva, Lord Vishnu, including great saints like Sri Swami Sivananda, Sri Ramakrishna and others have all glorified her.
Map of India Showing River Ganga
Ganga is a perennial river which originates as a stream called “Bhagirathi” from Gaumukh in the Gangotri glacier at 30 ° 55′ N, 79 ° 7′ E, some 4100 m above mean sea level. Ganga river basin is the largest among river basins in India and the fourth largest in the world, with a basin (catchment area) covering 8, 61,404 sq km. It has a total length of 2,525 km, out of which 1,425 km is in Uttaranchal and UP, 475 km is in Bihar and 625 km is in West Bengal. Already half a billion people live within the river basin, at an average density of over 500 per sq km, and this population is projected to increase to over one billion people by the year 2030.
The Ganges plains were first settled by Aryans around 1200 BC and in subsequent 3,200 years of occupation, the landscape of the region has been completely transformed by generations of agriculturists and the more recent expansion of urban centres and industrial activities.
The Ganga drains 9 states of India. Today, the 2,525 km long river supports 29 class I cities, 23 class II cities and 48 towns, plus thousands of villages. Nearly all the sewage, industrial effluent, runoff from chemical fertilizers and pesticides used in agriculture within the basin, and large quantities of solid waste, including thousands of animals’ carcasses and hundreds of human corpses are dumped in the river everyday.
The inevitable result of this onslaught on the river’s capacity to receive and assimilate waste has been an erosion of river water quality, to the extent that, by 1970s, large stretches (over 600 km) of the river were virtually dead from an ecological point of view, and posed a considerable public health threat to the religious bathers using the river everyday. The problem of river pollution is further compounded by the over-extraction and diversion of the river waters at various points (about 47 percent of the country’s irrigated land is in the Ganga basin). The situation is intolerable, primarily because it is a common practice for Indians to bathe in the ‘holy’ waters of Ganga. In addition, a large number of people living along the river use Ganga water for drinking and other household purposes. Livelihoods of many people (e.g., fishermen, boatmen, priests etc.) are also linked with the condition of the river.
Ganga is a perennial river which originates as a stream called “Bhagirathi” from Gaumukh in the Gangotri glacier at 30 ° 55′ N, 79 ° 7′ E, some 4100 m above mean sea level. Ganga river basin is the largest among river basins in India and the fourth largest in the world, with a basin (catchment area) covering 8, 61,404 sq km. It has a total length of 2,525 km, out of which 1,425 km is in Uttaranchal and UP, 475 km is in Bihar and 625 km is in West Bengal. Already half a billion people live within the river basin, at an average density of over 500 per sq km, and this population is projected to increase to over one billion people by the year 2030.Ganga Today
The Ganga today is more polluted than when the Ganga Action Plan was first initiated by the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1986. The fast shrinking glaciers, dams, barrages, canals and alarmingly high volume of pollution pose an ever increasing threat to the health and life of the river. The state of Uttar Pradesh alone is responsible for over 50% of the pollutants entering the river along its entire journey to the sea.
Today there are more than 50 drains carrying raw sewage to the river Ganga and Yamuna at Allahabad while there were only 13 drains before GAP was launched in 1986. Every Magh mela, Ardha-kumbha, and Kumbha, sadhus and saints protest in large numbers against the river pollution and boycott the ritual bathings. Nowhere in Varanasi the Ganga is worth taking a holy dip. The coliform and faecal coliform count is exceedingly high in the river water. The 84 bathing ghats are sandwiched between two tributaries, Assi and Varuna, which are now huge sewage drains.
As the Ganga continues to wind its way down towards Kolkata she experiences dozens of similar assaults that leave her waters fetid and filled with toxins and diseases. The situation is the same throughout the length of the river.
The defilement of the river Ganga begins at Rishikesh when the river enters the plains. The Ganga river water is brown or black in colour from Narora to Varanasi during the lean months. At Kanpur the water stinks even during the monsoon when the river is flooded. Since the launching of GAP, things have gone downhill in a big way in Kanpur. The amount of filth along and in the river still continues unabated. Polybags are tossed in publicly and casually; piles of refuse tumble down slopes to the river edge. The river is still the private garbage dump of industries and individuals alike. During the lean period, the river is so shallow that one can walk through the black muddy waters of the river. The river is littered with human corpses and animal carcasses throughout its course and the sight is truly offensive, repulsive, irritating, and disgusting and the oily blue-black stench of tannery waste is unbearable. These are utmost insults to the holiness of the river and any idea of purity.Save Ganga Campaign
“Ganga Dussehra is celebrated on Dashmi Tithi of Shukla Paksha Jeyshta Masa. This day, sacred river Ganga had descended on earth from heaven. This year it is being observed on 11th June. When Ganga Dussehra falls in Hast Nakshatra, it is believed to remove worst kinds of sins. Ganga descended on earth in Hast Nakshatra, hence, this day is more significant in comparison to other days. Ganga Dussehra is a festival of faith and devotion. As per the scriptures, bath and donations have great significance on this day. If due to some reason a person is not able to have bath in Ganga, he should perform Ardhaya nearby river and do the Tilodak and Tarpan. All sins of life are removed by performing bath, donations and Tarpan, on this day, therefore, this festival is called Dussehra.” Out of all the rivers, Ganga is considered the most sacred and remover of sins (Papamochini). Having a dip in Ganga, gives salvation to a person. After performing rigid meditation for many years, Rishi Bhagirath convinced Ganga to come on the earth. This day, people from distant places come to have a dip in Ganga. Keeping in view the faith, trust and sensitivities of the multitudes of the Indian people in River Ganga, it is the bounden duty of government as well as the people to maintain the sanctity of this river by keeping it free from pollution. All polluting industries built on the banks of Ganga should be closed and no new such units should be allowed. Millions of rupees have been spent in the name of keeping Ganga clean without any tangible result. The recent World Bank’s announcement of granting one billion US$ for Ganga project should be properly utilized. Let’s work for this sacred mission.
By Ms. Shweta Kumar
Dr Arvind Kumar, President of India Water Foundation, a New Delhi-based civil society engaged in water related issues, and Editor of this magazine utilized the auspicious occasion of Ganga Dussehra to gave a call for saving Ganga from pollution and restoration of its sanctity. He gave this call through his blog, which is reproduced here for the benefit and information of our valued readers.
