Urbanization in the Ganga basin is increasing rapidly due to rural-urban migration and population growth. This has put pressure on water resources as urban areas depend on groundwater and river water for supply and waste disposal. Water tables are declining and groundwater quality is deteriorating. In densely populated areas like Varanasi, lack of planning has led to sewage and industrial waste being dumped untreated into the Ganga river, polluting it heavily. This poses major health risks to those who use the river water for bathing, drinking, and religious practices. Efforts to clean up the Ganga through plans like the Ganga Action Plan have had limited success.

1. URBANIZATION

3. WHAT IS URBANIZATION ?
•Urbanization is the physical
growth of urban areas as a result
of rural migration and even
suburban concentration into
cities, particularly the very large
ones.

6. • Large scale emigrations from rural areas to urban
areas and population growth have been
uninterrupted and accelerating phenomena in
parts of Ganga basin, where urbanization is
increasing at an unprecedented rate. Urban
agglomeration is causing radical changes in
groundwater recharge and modifying the existing
mechanisms.

7. • Majority of the cities are sited on unconfined or semi
confined aquifers depend upon river water and
groundwater for most of their water supply and
disposal of most of their liquid effluents and solid
residues to the rivers and ground. There has also
been an inevitable rise in waste production.
Drainage of surface water has been disrupted as
the small natural channels and low lying areas have
been in filled, often with municipal waste

8. • Total water potential of the Ganga basin including
surface water potential and ground water potential
is around 525.02 km3 and 170.00 km3 respectively.
Basin supports approximately 42% of the total
population in India. Water tables are declining at
approximately an average of 0.20 m per year in
many parts of the basin and there is a trend of
deteriorating groundwater quality.

10. • The demand of water has been increased many
folds and most of the areas are highly reliant upon
the groundwater to meet this increasing demand
for water, but unfortunately degradation of
groundwater both in terms of quantity and quality
has deteriorated the situation. Studies shows that
change in climate may increase temperature by 2
to 6°C and can reduce precipitation up to 16%,
which could reduce the groundwater recharge by
50%.

11. • In densely populated Ganga basin urban drainage
consumes a high proportion of the investments into
urban infrastructure and needs integrated
approach for the sustainable development of
water management, water education regarding
conservation and pollution caused by urbanization.

13. • Studies shows that change in climate may increase
temperature by 2 to 6°C and can reduce
precipitation up to 16%, which could reduce the
groundwater recharge by 50%. In densely
populated Ganga basin urban drainage consumes
a high proportion of the investments into urban
infrastructure and needs integrated approach for
the sustainable development of water
management, water education regarding
conservation and pollution caused by urbanization.

14. The pollution of
the river Ganga

16. • Safe drinking water and sanitation services are
common issues in most rapidly growing developing
cities. Varanasi is no exception; however, the
situation in Varanasi is different compared to the
ones of other cities at a similar development stage.
Varanasi’s water supply is highly dependent on the
Ganga, which is considered to be sacred and
purifying by the Hindus. Immersion and ablution in its
water are daily procedures for the inhabitants as
well for the numerous pilgrims.

18. • During the last century the city spread in a rather
unplanned way. The lack of a strong coordinating
body resulted in serious deficits in the field of large
infrastructures such as drainage and sewerage
systems. Consequently, the capacity of the old
sewers exceeded and the city’s sewage and
industrial waste flow into the Ganga, polluting the
river heavily. Today, the largest part of the sewage,
industrial effluent, run-off from chemical fertilizers
and pesticides used in agriculture and huge
quantities of solid waste are dumped in the Ganga
untreated.

20. • The pollution of the Ganga presents a severe health
hazard, in particular for those who bathe in the river
and drink its water. In their study, Pandey et al.
(2005) found out that the Ganga water pollution
has a very significant effect on occurrence of
enteric diseases in Varanasi city. In particular the
concentration of Nitrate, Chloride and Faecal
coliforms in the river water has a major effect on
water-borne diseases.

22. • The result of this study indicates that the drinking
water may cause enteric diseases even if the raw
Ganga water is treated properly. One possible
explanation is that contamination could take place
due to seepage of old supply pipelines . Many
efforts to clean-up the holy Ganga were
undertaken during the last decades. The most
comprehensive was The Ganga Action Plan (GAP).
The GAP was an ambitious program, prepared by
the Department of Environment and approved by
the Cabinet in 1985, in order to reduce the pollution
of the Ganga.

24. Bibliography:

25. • Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) (2000):
Ganga Action Plan.
http://www.cag.gov.in/reports/scientific/2000_book2/gangaa
ctionplan.htm (23.09.2011)
• Jaiswal, R. K. (2007): Ganga Action Plan – A critical analysis,
Working paper, 49 p.
• Mishra, V. B. (2005): The Ganga at Varanasi and a travail to
stop her abuse. In: Current Science. Vol. 89, No. 5. pp. 755-763.
• Pandey, J. et al. (2005): Ganga Water Pollution and
Occurrence of Enteric Diseases in Varanasi City. Indian Journal
of Community Medicine: Vol. 30, No. 4.. pp. 115-120.
• Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF) (2011): The struggle to save
Ganga.
http://www.sankatmochanfoundationonline.org/save_ganga.
html (23.09.2011)