Ganga River History

The Ganges also Ganga , is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through India and Bangladesh. The 2,525 km (1,569 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North Indiainto Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. It is the third largest river by discharge.
Rising in the Himalayas and emptying into the Bay of Bengal, it drains a quarter of the territory of India, while its basin supports hundreds of millions of people. The Gangetic Plain, across which it flows, is the heartland of the region known as Hindustan and has been the cradle of successive civilizations from the Mauryan empire of Ashoka in the 3rd century bce down to the Mughal Empire, founded in the 16th century.For most of its course the Ganges flows through Indian territory, although its large delta in the Bengal area, which it shares with the Brahmaputra River, lies mostly in Bangladesh. The general direction of the river’s flow is from northwest to southeast. At its delta the flow is generally southward.

The volume of the Ganges increases markedly as it receives more tributaries and enters a region of heavier rainfall, and it shows a marked seasonal variation in flow. From April to June the melting Himalayan snows feed the river, while in the rainy season from July to September the rain-bearing monsoons cause floods. During winter the river’s flow declines. South of Haridwar, now within the state of Uttar Pradesh, the river receives the principal right-bank tributaries of the Yamuna River, which flows through the Delhi capital region to join the Ganges near Allahabad, and the Tons, which flows north from the Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh state and joins the Ganges just below Allahabad. The main left-bank tributaries in Uttar Pradesh are the Ramganga, the Gomati, and the Ghaghara.

The Ganges next enters the state of Bihar, where its main tributaries from the Himalayan region to the north are the Gandak, the Burhi Gandak, the Ghugri, and the Kosi rivers and its most important southern tributary is the Son. The river then skirts the Rajmahal Hills to the south and flows southeast to Farakka, at the apex of the delta. In West Bengal, the last Indian state that the Ganges enters, the Mahananda River joins it from the north. In West Bengal in India, as well as in Bangladesh, the Ganges is locally called the Padma. The westernmost distributaries of the delta are the Bhagirathi and the Hugli (Hooghly) rivers, on the east bank of which stands the huge metropolis of Kolkata (Calcutta). The Hugli itself is joined by two tributaries flowing in from the west, the Damodar and the Rupnarayan. As the Ganges passes from West Bengal into Bangladesh, a number of distributaries branch off to the south into the river’s vast delta. In Bangladesh the Ganges is joined by the mighty Brahmaputra (which is called the Jamuna in Bangladesh) near Goalundo Ghat. The combined stream, there called the Padma, joins with the Meghna River above Chandpur. The waters then flow through the delta region to the Bay of Bengal via innumerable channels, the largest of which is known as the Meghna estuary.

The Ganges-Brahmaputra system has the third greatest average discharge of the world’s rivers, at roughly 1,086,500 cubic feet (30,770 cubic metres) per second; approximately 390,000 cubic feet (11,000 cubic metres) per second is supplied by the Ganges alone. The rivers’ combined suspended sediment load of about 1.84 billion tons per year is the world’s highest.

Dhaka (Dacca), the capital of Bangladesh, stands on the Buriganga (“Old Ganges”), a tributary of the Dhaleswari. Apart from the Hugli and the Meghna, the other distributary streams that form theGanges delta are, in West Bengal, the Jalangi River and, in Bangladesh, the Matabhanga, Bhairab, Kabadak, Garai-Madhumati, and Arial Khan rivers.

The Ganges, as well as its tributaries and distributaries, is constantly vulnerable to changes in its course in the delta region. Such changes have occurred in comparatively recent times, especially since 1750. In 1785 the Brahmaputra flowed past the city of Mymensingh; it now flows more than 40 miles (65 km) west of it before joining the Ganges.

The delta, the seaward prolongation of sediment deposits from the Ganges and Brahmaputra river valleys, is about 220 miles (355 km) along the coast and covers an area of about 23,000 square miles (60,000 square km). It is composed of repeated alternations of clays, sands, and marls, with recurring layers of peat, lignite, and beds of what were once forests. The new deposits of the delta, known in Hindi and Urdu as the khadar, naturally occur in the vicinity of the present channels. The delta’s growth is dominated by tidal processes.

The southern surface of the Ganges delta has been formed by the rapid and comparatively recent deposition of enormous loads of sediment. To the east the seaward side of the delta is being changed at a rapid rate by the formation of new lands, known as chars, and new islands. The western coastline of the delta, however, has remained practically unchanged since the 18th century.

The rivers in the West Bengal area are sluggish; little water passes down them to the sea. In the Bangladeshi delta region, the rivers are broad and active, carrying plentiful water and connected by innumerable creeks. During the rains (June to October) the greater part of the region is flooded to a depth of 3 or more feet (at least 1 metre), leaving the villages and homesteads, which are built on artificially raised land, isolated above the floodwaters. Communication between settlements during this season can be accomplished only by boat.

To the seaward side of the delta as a whole, there is a vast stretch of tidal mangrove forests and swampland. The region, called the Sundarbans, is protected by India and Bangladesh for conservation purposes. Each country’s portion of the Sundarbans has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, India’s in 1987 and Bangladesh’s in 1997.

Varanasi (वाराणसी) also known as Benares or Kashi (काशी) situated on the banks of the River Ganga in  Uttar Pradesh, regarded as most holy place by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains. It is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, believed to be about 3,000 years old..Varanasi  is referred as the city of temples , the holy city of India , the religious capital of India , the city of lights and the city of learning. The importance of Varanasi  is closely associated with the River Ganga.and has many temples along its banks.

 Hindus believe that bathing in Ganga remits sins and that dying in Kashi ensures release of a persons soul from the cycle of its transmigrations. Varanasi is one of the holiest places in Buddhism too, being one of the four pilgrimage sites said to have been designated by Gautama Buddha

  More than 1,000,000 pilgrims visit the city each year. It has the holy shrine of Kashi Vishwanath (a manifestation of Lord Shiva), and also one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva (शिव). Varanasi has nearly 100 ghats, most of them are bathing ghats, while others are used as cremation sites. Varanasi is famous by its  Jantar Mantar,  Archaeological museum, Bharat Kala Bhavan, The New Vishwanath Temple, Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, Banaras Hindu University and Banarasi Silk.

 A total of 146 industries are reported to be located along the river Ganga between Rishikesh and Prayagraj. 144 of these are in Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) and 2 in Uttrakhand. Of the grossly polluting industries in U.P., 82 industries have installed Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs) and are reported to be complying with the standards, 27 industries, though have installed ETPs are not reported to be complying with the prescribed standards and 35 industries are reported to have been closed. The Central Pollution Control Board has issued directions to the State Pollution Control Boards under Section 18 1(b) of Water Act, 1974 for taking appropriate legal action against the defaulting industries. In the State of Uttrakhand, of the 2 Grossly Polluting Industries, one is reported to have installed the ETP and the other is reported to have been closed. As regards the number of drains falling into the river in the towns covered under the Ganga Action Plan and number of identified Gross Polluting Industries which discharge their effluent in the river between Rishikesh and Prayagraj, the same is given in the Annexure.

   GAP Phase-I was declared closed in March, 2000. Since GAP Phase-I did not cover the pollution load of Ganga fully, GAP Phase II which included Plans for Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar and Mahananda besides Ganga was approved in various stages from 1993 onwards. The present sanctioned cost of works for Ganga river (main stem) under GAP Phase-II is Rs.564 crore against which an amount of Rs.373.58 crore has been released to the State Implementing Agencies. Out of a total of 311 schemes sanctioned, 185 schemes have been completed so far and the balance schemes are in different stages of implementation.

Ganga River Pollutions:

One of the biggest reasons why the river has quite literally been shat upon in the past 20 years is because good old fashioned human denial and ignorance.

The problems have been allowed to escalate to the dangerously high proportions we have today because of that fact that Hindus simply do not want to accept that their 'mother Ganga', nectar of God, bringer of hope and purifier of souls is or can be responsible for bringing them illness and misery. Instead claims of record pollution fall on deaf ears.

Approximately 1 billion litres of raw, untreated sewage are dumped in the river on a daily basis. The amount has more than doubled in the last 20 years and experts predict another 100% increase in the following 20 years.The rapid explosion of India's population in the last 25 years coupled with lax regulations on industry has put a huge strain on the river leading to an explosion in Ganges river pollution.Thousands of bodies are cremated on the banks of the river yearly with many being released into the river with hopes that their souls may have a direct path to heaven .Hundreds Unwanted or 'illegitimate' babies, cattle and other animal carcases are also dumped in the Ganges again with religious significance The levels of Coliform bacteria is over 2800 times the level considered safe by the W.H.O (world health organisation).waste Water of release into Ganga river was the Uttar Pradesh First Place next one west Bengal.In this Most of them released to pulp&paper Industries.

Detailed Report on the Ganga River Cleaning Project to be Ready in a Month:

A detailed report on cleaning the Ganga river, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet project, will be ready before the start of the next session of Parliament in July. A note outlining the roadmap to clean and revitalize the river will be prepared and moved to the Union Cabinet for approval.

This was decided today in a meeting of four ministries which have been drafted in by the Prime Minister to pool their resources and expertise to kickstart his dream project. 

Mr Modi, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Varanasi by an impressive margin,  in his speeches, has been stressing that he had been called to Varanasi to serve "Ma Ganga".

To prove that he means business on cleaning up the Ganga river, the PM has set up an Inter-Ministerial Group, which held its first meeting . The group met in New Delhi again today under the chairperson ship of shipping minister Nitin Gadkari. Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation minister Uma Bharti was also present in the meeting, which also included the minister of tourism, Shripad Naik and minister of environment, Prakash Javadekar.

 A recent study by the Ganga Lab and River Ecosystem Environment Management and Training Centre at the Benaras Hindu University (BHU) has found that the quantity of (original) Ganga jal could in fact be less than 1 per cent in Varanasi

  The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase-II project which should have been completed by March this year in Varanasi, has so far attained only 12% progress. A sewage treatment plant (STP) of 140 MLD assisted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under GAP-II has been proposed in Varanasi, and it was sanctioned in July 2010. It was expected that the project would be completed by March 2013. But, according to the record of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), the progress status of the project as on June 30, 2013 is only 12%. One of the reasons for the delay is the unavailability of land.

 Another STP of 120 MLD to be implemented under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) is also in the process of beginning. It may be mentioned here that the World Bank approved a fund of one billion dollars to achieve the objective of Mission Clean Ganga.

"The plan is not anti-development,'' said Nitin Gadkari while briefing reporters about the meeting's outcome.

Uma Bharti  said, "We have learned from the experience of Sabarmati (river) gave us the confidence that even a polluted river can be cleaned. "She added that their focus would not be restricted to Ganga. "Season, site and rainfall-specific plans for different rivers will be readied. A Group of Secretaries will work out a detailed plan for each river."
 
The ministers said that a technical committee will be formed to examine the feasibility of building barrages along the length of river Ganga, and their heights.  

On a proposal to shipping on inland waterways, Mr Gadkari said a depth of 3 metres and a certain width of the river was needed to even consider any kind of navigation. "It will work out to be cheaper, if inland waterways cost 50 paise per unit and road transportation cost Rs. 1.5 per unit," he pointed out.