A general basic case study on the river Ganga at Varanasi covering all the aspects of Pollution, Government'r role, Treatment facilities, Future prospects, Health status of river.
2. presented by
Ravi Kiran JP
Ashutosh & MD Asif Iqbal
“Defining generations”
Email ID: kiran.ravi382@gmail.com
Department of Environmental Science & Engineering
Indian School of Mines(ISM), Dhanbad
Jharkhand- 826004
3. The Ganges
Trans-boundary river of India & Bangladesh.
The 2,525 km (1,569 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the
Indian state of Uttarkhand and flows south -east through
the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties
into the Bay of Bengal.
It is the longest river of India and is the second greatest river in the
world by water Discharge.
The Ganges basin is the most heavily populated river basin in the
world, with over 400 million people and a population density of about
1,000 inhabitants per square mile.
Ganga, has been enlisted on the list of 10 most endangered rivers of
the world.
5. Scientific significance of the Ganga
According to reports by environmental engineers of IIT
Roorkee , the Ganga decomposes the organic waste 15 to 25
times faster then other river.
Scientists and religious leaders have speculated on the causes
of the river's apparent self-purification effect, in which water-borne
bacteria such as dysentery and cholera are killed off,
thus preventing large-scale epidemics.
Some studies have reported that the river retains more oxygen
than is typical for comparable rivers; this could be a factor
leading to fewer disease agents being present in the water.
The waters of the Ganga carry one of the highest sediment
loads anywhere in the world, with a mean annual total of 1.6
billion tonnes, compared to 0.4 billion tonnes for the Amazon
6. Contd..
According to NBRI (National Botanical
Research Institute) Ganga water have a anti
bacterial quality .
It found in research the E. COLI live only 3
days in Ganga water due to its bacterio-phase
quality's.
43% of Indian population rely on the Ganges
lonely.
7. Environmental Problems
The Ganges was ranked among the top five most
polluted rivers of the world in 2007, with fecal
coliform levels in the river near Varanasi more than
hundred times the official Indian government limits.
Pollution threatens not only humans, but also more
than 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species and the
endangered Ganges river dolphin.
It is filled with chemical wastes, sewage and even
human and animal remains which carry major health
risks by either direct bathing in the dirty water, or by
drinking.
10. It is found in research's the FAECAL
COLIFORM levels in the river near Varanasi
more than 100 times then official Indian
government limit.
11. WATER QUALITY OF RIVER GANGA
Water quality can be characterize by mainly
following parameters:
Dissolve oxygen (DO)
Biological oxygen demand (BOD)
Chemical oxygen demand (COD)
Fecal coliform
14. Nonpoint sources:
Runoff from agricultural fields
Solid waste
Marigold flowers with pesticides
Human and Cattle excreta and fecal
matter
Bathing and washing on ghats
Cremation
16. Point Sources
Sewage Effluent discharge
Domestic waste
Industrial Effluents
Oveflow and leakage of Nalas
Polluted river Nala
Leather Industries
17. Ganga Action plan
In 1986, the government had launched the first phase of
Ganga Action Plan (GAP-I) to protect the country’s
largest river basin. It selected stretches of the river along
25 cities in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.
In 1993, GAP-II was initiated which included the river’s
tributaries—the Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar and the
Mahanadi.
On February 20, 2009, the Union government gave the
Ganga the status of a National River and re-launched
GAP with a reconstituted National Ganga River Basin
Authority. The re-launched GAP took into account the
entire river basin and emphasised the river’s need to
have adequate water to maintain its ecological flow. But
five years after the re-launch, pollution levels are still, to
say the least, grim. Rivers have the ability to clean
themselves—to assimilate and treat biological waste
using sunlight and oxygen. But the Ganga gets no time
to breathe and revive
18. Failure of GAP I & GAP II
1.Non availability of Environmental State-of-the-
Art.
2.Inappropriate Environmental Planning.
3.Establishment of non specific Sewage Treatment
Plants on highly productive crop lands.
4. Least political dedication and vision to save the
Ganga.
19. Government in Action Again
The Ganges River, considered to be sacred in India is
getting a $1 billion clean up loan from the World Bank.
Clean up efforts that include building water
treatment plants, fixing dams and other water quality
improvement measures.
VARANASI is all set to witness establishment of
National Ganga River Basin Research Institute for
sustainable development of the Ganga river basin in
the region. The Centre has expressed confidence that
by 2020 the polluted River Ganga would be cleaned
and Rs 15,000 crore will be spent on it.
20. Prime Minister Plans New Policy to Clean
Ganga – A Ray of Hopes!!
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed to
come out with a plan to bring back the lost glory of Ganga
during his campaign in Varanasi, and now his government is
planning a policy initiative to check pollution in the mighty
river.
“The government will work out a policy initiative for the
rejuvenation of Ganga as well as the cleaning up of other
important rivers in the country. Efforts will be made to make
it clean and pious as it was in the past,” Union Minister of
Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti said
after taking charge of the ministry. Promising an early review
the status of various river projects, including fund allocation,
Bharti said all the rivers should be made free from the source
of pollution and people should get clean water.
21. Medium and Long Term strategy
Medium Term Plan
Creating enabling environment through CPCB to achieve the objective
of zero liquid discharge
Sanitation measures in 1649 Gram Panchayats as identified by Ministry
of Drinking Water and Sanitation
Sewerage infrastructure coverage for identified 118 towns
Long Term Plan
To emerge from Ganga River Basin Management Plan (GRBMP) being
prepared by consortium of 7 IITs, likely to be submitted by December,
2014 - Interim Report received from IIT consortium
26. REMEDIES FOR MISMANAGEMENT IN
GANGA RIVER POLLUTION
Appropriate technology and suitable alternatives for waste
water interception and treatment of sewage in Varanasi
(Not to use electrical dependent pumps in STP, instead use
gravity based)
A type of algae that eats feces that is use to turn sewage in
to fertilizer could be use to clean the Ganges river
(advanced integrated wastewater)
Improving river bank to reduce erosion
Reduce obstruction of water flow
By mind setup and reduction in corruption
By proper and forceful implementation of water act and
environmental act
River water quality monitoring at regular intervals
27. Environmentalists speaks:
“ Environmentalists say the river supports over
400 million people, and if the unabated
pollution is not controlled, it will be the end
of communities living along the banks.”
29. Conclusions
Due to excessive sewage discharge, industrial
and domestic waste at various places, the
quality and sacredness of Ganges has
degraded
Aerobic microbial activity has reduced the DO
and increased the BOD
Damming along the river at various places has
reduced its carrying capacity to dissolve
harmful things
30. Contd..
Dolphin, the national aquatic organism
(Platanista gangetica gangetica) has become
endangered due to excessive pollution
Indicating that the cultural, religious, social
and economical value of Ganga is in danger
31. References
Divedi,S. 1991. Assessment of water quality of
river Ganga at Varanasi. Ph.D. Thesis. Banaras
Hindu University, Varanasi.
River Ganga At Varanasi: The Polluted Purifier,
Priyadarshini Shukla And B.D. Tripathi
Department Of Botany, Banaras Hindu University,
Varanasi (U.P.).
STATUS PAPER ON RIVER GANGA, national river
conservation directorate ministry of environment
and forest.