The Himalayas are the source of three major Indian rivers namely the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Ganga drains a basin of extraordinary variation in altitude,climate, land use, flora & fauna, social and cultural life.Ganga has been a cradle of human civilization since time immemorial. Millions depend on this great river for physical and spiritual sustenance. People have immense faith in the powers of healing and regeneration of the Ganga. It is arguably the most sacred river in the world and is deeply revered by the people of this country. The River plays a vital role in religious ceremonies and rituals. To bathe in Ganga is a lifelong ambition of many who congregate in large numbers for several river centered festivals such as Kumbh Mela and numerous Snan (bath) festivals.

1. GANGA
A RIVER IN PAIN
A presentation by
VISHAL PANDEY

2. “The Ganga, especially, is the river of India, beloved of her
people, round which are intertwined her memories, her
hopes and fears, her songs of triumph, her victories and her
defeats. She has been a symbol of India’s age long culture and
civilization, ever changing, ever flowing, and yet ever the
same Ganga”
- Jawaharlal Nehru
(first PM of India)

3. ‘The Ganga is a major river of the Indian
subcontinent rising in the Himalaya
Mountains from GANGOTRI GLACIER and
flowing about 2,510 km (1,560 mi)
generally eastward through a vast plain
to the Bay of Bengal.’

4. Source: Gangotri Glacier, Satopanth Glacier, Khatling Glacier, and waters from melted
snow from such peaks as Nanda Devi, Trisul, Kedarnath, Nanda Kot, and Kamet.
Length: 2,525 km (1,569 mi)
Basin: 1,080,000 km2 (416,990 sq mi)

5. States: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal
Tributaries: Ramganga, Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandaki, Burhi Gandak, Koshi,
Mahananda ,Yamuna, Tamsa, Son, Punpun
Cities: Haridwar, Kanpur, Jajmau, Allahabad, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Ghazipur,
Patna, Rishikesh, Munger, Bhagalpur, Baharampur, Kolkata, Bijnor,Ballia

6. ‘The Ganga is the most sacred
river to Hindus. It is a lifeline
to millions of Indians who live
along its course and depend
on it for their daily needs’

7. Serves an estimated population of 500 million people or
more, which is larger than any other river in the world
Its plain is one of the most fertile and densely populated
regions in the world.
One of the most productive regions in Asia having deep, rich
soils
Main Crops: Grains, sugarcane, cotton and oilseeds
River provides irrigation water during dry season and water
to about 40% of India's population in 11 states

8. Ganga Maata or Mother Ganges is revered as a goddess
whose purity cleanses the sins of the faithful and aids the
dead on their path toward heaven.
It is believed that drinking water from the Ganga with one's
last breath will take the soul to heaven.
Hindus believe life is incomplete without bathing in the
Ganga at least once in their lifetime.

9. Some of the most important Hindu festivals and
religious congregations are celebrated on the
banks of the river Ganga such as the Kumbh Mela
and the Chhat Puja.

10. Three towns holy to Hinduism – Haridwar, Prayag
(Allahabad), and Varanasi – attract thousands of
pilgrims to its waters to take a dip in the Ganges

11. • Fish are found in all the major rivers of the Ganges basin, and
are a vital food source for many people.
• The critically endangered Ganges shark is also found in the
river and other places in Indian subcontinent
• Many types of birds are found throughout the basin, such as
myna, parrots, crows, kites, partridges, and fowls.
Aquatic & wildlife

12. • National parks:- Rajaji National Park, Jim Corbett
National Park, and Dudhwa National Park running
along the Himalayan foothills
• Few large wild animals, mostly deer, boars,
wildcats, and small numbers of wolves, jackals,
and foxes.
• Bengal tigers survive only in the Sundarbans area
of the Ganges Delta. Crocodiles and barasingha
are also found in the Sundarbans

13. The river's most famed
fauna is the freshwater
dolphin, the Ganges river
dolphin ,recently declared
India's national aquatic
animal.

14. What we give in RETURN ?

15. Over 1.3 billion liters per day - goes directly into the river, along
with thousands of animal corpses, mainly cattle.
A large proportion of the waste in the Ganges is from this
population through domestic usage like bathing, laundry and
public defecation.

16. 260 million liters of industrial waste are added to
this by hundreds of factories along the rivers banks.
Its about 12% - 15% of the total volume of effluent
reaching the Ganges.

17. During festival seasons, over
70 million people bathe in
the Ganges over a few
weeks to clean themselves
from their past sins. Some
materials like food, waste or
leaves are left in the Ganges
for ritualistic reasons

18. The government of India has planned
about 300 dams on the Ganges and
its tributaries in the near future
despite a government-commissioned
green panel report that has
recommended scrapping 34 of the
dams citing environmental concerns.

19. Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh
told reporters on August 28, 2010
‘Nearly 170 factories and tanneries located between Kannauj
and Varanasi, covering an area of 450 km, were found
responsible for polluting the river by discharging wastes into it
without treatment’

20. What will be the IMPACT ?

21. Water shortages
Along with ever-increasing pollution, water shortages are
getting noticeably worse. Some sections of the river are
already completely dry. Around Varanasi the river once
had an average depth of 60 metres (200 ft), but in some
places it is now only 10 metres (33 ft).

22. Unsuitable for bathing
According to official standards, water
safe for bathing should not contain more
than 500 faecal coliforms per 100ml, yet
upstream of Varanasi's ghats the river
water already contains 120 times as
much, 60,000 faecal coliform bacteria
per 100 ml.

23. Affected Marine life
Fish muscles tended to accumulate high
levels of mercury.
The Ganges River dolphin is listed as an
endangered species, their population is
believed to be reduced to less than
2000.

24. Disturbed habitat
Some of the dams being constructed
along the Ganges basin will submerge
substantial areas of nearby forest.

25. Health issues
Water in the Ganges has
been correlated to
contracting dysentery,
cholera, hepatitis, as well
as severe diarrhea which
continues to be one of
the leading causes of
death of children in India.

26. Efforts taken so far

27. Ganga Action Plan
GAP was a program launched in January 1986 by the
then Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi, to reduce the
pollution load on the river. But the efforts to
decrease the pollution level in the river were
unsuccessful even after spending Rs 9017 million.
Therefore, this plan was withdrawn on 31 March
2000.

28. National River Ganga Basin
Authority (NRGBA)
NRGBA was established by the Central Government
of India, on 20 February 2009.
It declared the Ganges as the "National River" of
India.

29. Namami Ganga
In the budget tabled in Parliament
on 10 July 2014, the Union Finance
Minister Arun Jaitley announced an
integrated Ganga development
project titled 'Namami Ganga and
allocated ₹2,037 crore for this
purpose.
As a part of the program,
government of India ordered the
shut down of 48 industrial units
around Ganga

30. In addition a sum of Rs. 100 crores
has been allocated for developments
of Ghats and beautification of River
Fronts at Kedarnath, Haridwar,
Kanpur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Patna
and Delhi in the current financial year
Namami Gange approaches Ganga
Rejuvenation by consolidating the
existing ongoing efforts and planning
for a concrete action plan for future.

31. Following are proposed to be
taken up under Namami Gange
1. Nirmal Dhara- ensuring sustainable municipal
sewage management
2. Nirmal Dhara- managing sewage from Rural
Areas
3. Nirmal Dhara- managing Industrial discharge
4. Aviral Dhara- Enforcing River Regulatory Zones

32. 5. Ensuring ecological rejuvenation by conservation
of aquatic life and biodiversity
6. Promotion of Tourism and Shipping in a rational
and sustainable manner
7. Knowledge Management on Ganga through
Ganga Knowledge Centre
“Short term interventions to control the spread of
pollution and to contain it in manageable limits is
being identified by Group of Secretaries under
guidance of Hon’ble Ministers”
Source:National Informatics Centre

33. “Huge sum of money have been wasted so far on
different projects by previous governments, still
there is a lot of hope with the present government”
Now there is a need for joint approach by
Government & us (the public)…
There is a need to realize our responsibility towards
A river which gives us so much…
There is a need to evaluate what are we returning to
her…

34. Today is the day to realize….
“Ganga is our past, present and future”

35. Thankyou