Autobiography of River Ganges
I
am one of the major rivers of the Indian subcontinent, flowing east through the
Plain of northern India into Bangladesh. I rise in the western Himalayas in the
Uttarakhand state of India, and drain into the Sunderbans delta in the Bay
of Bengal. I have been considered a holy river by Hindus and worshiped as
the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. I have also been important historically:
many former provincial or imperial capitals (such as Patliputra, Kannauj,
Kara, Allahabad, Murshidabad, and Calcutta) have been
located on my banks. My Basin drains 1,000,000-square-kilometre (390,000 sq mi)
and supports one of the world`s highest densities of humans. My average depth is
52 feet (16 m), and the maximum depth, 100 feet (30 m). I have been declared as
India`s National River. My many symbolic meanings on the Indian subcontinent
were spoken to in 1946 by Jawaharlal Nehru in his Discovery of India. I above all am the river of India. I have held India`s heart captive and drawn uncounted millions to my banks since the dawn of history. My story, from my source to the sea, from old times to new, is the story of India`s civilization and culture, of the rise and fall of empires, of great and proud cities, of adventures of man. Although many small streams comprise the headwaters of me, the six longest headstreams and their five confluences are given both cultural and geographical emphasis (see the map showing the headwaters of the river). The Alaknanda River meets the Dhauliganga River at Vishnuprayag, the Nandakini River at Nandprayag, the Pindar River at Karnaprayag, and the Mandakini River at Rudraprayag and finally the Bhagirathi River at Devprayag, to form the mainstream, with me. The Bhagirathi is the source stream; it rises at the foot of Gangotri Glacier, at Gaumukh, at an elevation of 3,892 m (12,769 ft). The headwaters of the Alaknanda are formed by snowmelt from such peaks as Nanda Devi, Trisul, and Kamet.
I am a major river in the Indian subcontinent flowing east through the immeasurable plains of northern India into Bangladesh. I am 2,510 km or 1,557 mi river originate at the Gangotri Glacier in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, in the central Himalayas, and empty into the Bay of Bengal through my vast delta in the Sunderbans. I have enjoyed a state of admiration among India`s Hindus, by whom I am worshipped in my incarnated form as the goddess Ganga. I flow through India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The major cities along me are Haridwar, Moradabad, Rampur, Allahabad, Kanpur, Patna, Varanasi and Raj Shahi. My Delta is at the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh.
Joined by numerous rivers such as the Kosi, Son, Gandaki and Ghaghra, I form a formidable current in the stretch between Allahabad and Malda in West Bengal. On my way I pass the towns of Kanpur, Soron, Kannauj, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Ghazipur, Bhagalpur, Mirzapur, Ballia, Buxar, Saidpur, and Chunar. At Bhagalpur, my meanders past the Rajmahal Hills, and begin to run south. At Pakur, I begin my attrition with the branching away of my first distributary, the Bhagirathi-Hooghly, which go on to form the Hooghly River. Near the border with Bangladesh the Farakka Barrage, built in 1974, controls the flow of me diverting some of the water into a feeder canal linking the Hooghly to keep it relatively silt-free. I and my tributaries drain an enormous area about one million square kilometres. I drain the fertile basin and support one of the world`s highest-density human populations. Almost half of the population of India lives on one-third of the landscape within 500 km of the Himalayan range along my plains and depends on me. During the early Vedic Ages, the Indus and the Saraswati River were the chief rivers, not I. But later, the three Vedas seem to give much more significance to the Ganges, as shown by my plentiful references. Possibly the first Westerner to mention the name of Ganges was Megasthenese.
According to Hindu religion a very
famous king Bhagiratha did tapasya for many years constantly to bring me, then
residing in the Heavens, down on the Earth to find salvation for his ancestors,
who were cursed by a seer. Therefore, I descended to the Earth through the lock
of hair (Jata) of god Shiva to make whole earth pious, fertile and wash out the
sins of humans. For Hindus in India, I am not just a river but a mother, a
goddess, a tradition, a culture and much more.
I am also said to be the river of supreme Lord Rama and also called "Ram Ganga" as there is a belief Lord Rama promised while I emerged from his feet that, when He will appear on earth as Lord Rama will reside on the banks of me and my tributaries. Lord Ram then appeared in Ayodhya which is on the banks of Saryu River, when he went to Janakpuri he crossed River Ganga in Haridwar. During his 14 years exile from Sita, his wife and brother Lakshmana after leaving Ayodhya his first night stay was at Tamsa River (my tributaries), his second stay was at Shrungverpur which is on the banks of me and with the help of Nishadraj Gruh and Kevat he crossed me, he then went to Triveni sangam, Prayag Raj stayed with Muni Bharadvaj and then marched towards Chitrakoot and stayed there for 11 and half years on Kamadgiri parvat on the banks of Mandakini, holy stream. From there he went to Panchvati and stayed on the bank of Godavari until his wife sitaji was abducted by demon king Ravana. The search for his beloved wife Sita, Lord Rama went to Rameshwaram, as it is said all rivers meet the ocean.
I am also said to be the river of supreme Lord Rama and also called "Ram Ganga" as there is a belief Lord Rama promised while I emerged from his feet that, when He will appear on earth as Lord Rama will reside on the banks of me and my tributaries. Lord Ram then appeared in Ayodhya which is on the banks of Saryu River, when he went to Janakpuri he crossed River Ganga in Haridwar. During his 14 years exile from Sita, his wife and brother Lakshmana after leaving Ayodhya his first night stay was at Tamsa River (my tributaries), his second stay was at Shrungverpur which is on the banks of me and with the help of Nishadraj Gruh and Kevat he crossed me, he then went to Triveni sangam, Prayag Raj stayed with Muni Bharadvaj and then marched towards Chitrakoot and stayed there for 11 and half years on Kamadgiri parvat on the banks of Mandakini, holy stream. From there he went to Panchvati and stayed on the bank of Godavari until his wife sitaji was abducted by demon king Ravana. The search for his beloved wife Sita, Lord Rama went to Rameshwaram, as it is said all rivers meet the ocean.
Some Hindus also believe life is incomplete without taking a bath in me at least once in their lives. Many Hindu families keep a vial of water from me in their house. This is done because it is prestigious to have water of the Holy Ganges in the house, and also so that if someone is dying, that person will be able to drink my water. Hindus also believe that the water from me cleanses a person`s soul of all past sins, and that I can also cure the ill.
Today, over 29 cities, 70 towns, and thousands
of villages extend along my banks. Nearly all of their sewage - over 1.3 billion liters per day - goes directly
into the river, along with thousands of animal carcasses, mainly cattle.
Another 260 million liters of industrial waste are added to this by hundreds of
factories on
my banks. Municipal sewage constitutes 80 per cent by volume of the total
waste dumped into me, and industries contribute about 15 percent. The
majority of my pollution is organic waste, sewage, trash, food, and human and
animal remains. Over the past century, city populations along me have grown at
a tremendous rate, while waste-control infrastructure has remained relatively
unchanged. Recent water samples collected in Varanasi revealed fecal-coliform
counts of about 50,000 bacteria per 100 milliliters of water, 10,000% higher
than the government standard for safe river bathing. The result of this
pollution is an array of water-borne diseases including cholera, hepatitis,
typhoid and amoebic dysentery. An estimated 80% of all health problems and
one-third of deaths in India are attributable to water-borne diseases.
The sacred practice of depositing human remains in me also poses health threats because of the unsustainable rate at which partially cremated cadavers are dumped. In Varanasi, some 40,000 cremations are performed each year, most on wood pyres that do not completely consume the body. Along with the remains of these traditional funerals, there are thousands more who cannot afford cremation and whose bodies are simply thrown me. In addition, the carcasses of thousands of dead cattle, which are sacred to Hindus, go into the river each year. An inadequate cremation procedure contributes to a large number of partially burnt or unburnt corpses floating down me.
Hundreds of corpses burn on the line of wooden pyres. Soot-covered men bustle about, raking in the still-glowing ashes, sweeping them into the river. Gray dust from the pyres floats atop the waves, mixing with flower garlands and foam. The dust and debris resurfaces some distance away, this time, intermixed with polythene bags, empty cans and dirty clothes. This is the holy Ganga at its holiest spot Varanasi.
The industrial pollutants also a major source of contamination in me. A total of 146 industries are reported to be located along me between Rishikesh and Prayagraj. 144 of these are in Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) and 2 in Uttrakhand. The major polluting industries on me are the leather industries, especially near Kanpur, which use large amounts of Chromium and other toxic chemical waste, and much of it finds its way into the meager flow of me. From the plains to the sea, pharmaceutical companies, electronics plants, textile and paper industries, tanneries, fertilizer manufacturers and oil refineries discharge effluent into me. This hazardous waste includes hydrochloric acid, mercury and other heavy metals, bleaches and dyes, pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls highly toxic compounds that accumulate in animal and human tissue.
The tannery industry mushrooming in North India has converted me into a dumping ground. The tanning industry discharges different types of waste into the environment, primarily in the form of liquid effluents containing organic matters, chromium, sulphide ammonium and other salts. According to the information obtained from the UP State Pollution Control Board, there are 402 tanneries operating in the city Kanpur of which 65 were closed on September 17, 2010 issuing notices to 253 tanneries operating in the city, the State Pollution Control Board has asked them to comply with central norms to curb pollution within 15 days or face consequences.
A division bench of the Allahabad high court on January 19, 2011 asked UP chief secretary, who was present in the court, to file an affidavit about the action taken against those who were found involved in polluting me. The bench will now hear this case on February 14, next. The bench expressed concerned over the pollution in me and said that at Sangam in Allahabad I am dirty and my colour is brown.
I am getting polluted day-by-day. Nearly 170 factories and tanneries located between Kannauj and Varanasi, covering an area of 450 km, were found responsible for polluting me by discharging wastes into me without treatment,” Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh told reporters on August 28, 2010. “The government will issue show cause notices to these industrial units on August 30 and if they fail to take any action within 15 days, steps would be initiated to shut them,” he said. In 1996, the Supreme Court had banned the discharge of effluents from various tanneries and factories located on its banks in Kanpur.
However, industry is not the only source of pollution. Sheer volume of waste - estimated at nearly 1 billion litres per day - of mostly untreated raw sewage - is a significant factor. Runoff from farms in my basin adds chemical fertilizers and pesticides such as DDT, which is banned in the United States because of its toxic and carcinogenic effects on humans and wildlife. Damming me or diverting my water, mainly for irrigation purposes, also adds to the pollution crisis. Atmospheric deposition of heavy metals emitted from vehicles and presence of industrial units adjoining me is adding to the pollution load on the river, researchers have found on May 2010.
Decades-long efforts by the government to breathe life into me through massive clean-up programmes have come to naught. Consider this: Over Rs 1,000 crore have been pumped into me Action Plan I and II between 1985 and 2000, but Indias holiest river is still sullied. Discharge of untreated wastewater from towns along me constitutes the major source of pollution load for the river. Against the estimated wastewater generation of around 3000 million liters per day (mld) from towns along the river Ganga, sewage treatment capacity of 1025 mld has been created so far under the Ganga Action Plan. This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests(Independent Charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh in Rajya Sabha on August 02, 2010.
The incidence of gall bladder disease is high among people living near me and my tributaries, says the largest-ever study of the local population over six years.A team of doctors from Mumbai conducted the study and found high concentrations of heavy metals in the water and soil of 60 villages along the Indo-Gangetic plains that could be contributing to the disease. The study was published last week of January 2011 in the online edition of HPB, the official journal of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association. It has identified eight villages in Bihar's Vaishali district, located near the river Gandak, with an unusually high rate of gall bladder disease.
The sacred practice of depositing human remains in me also poses health threats because of the unsustainable rate at which partially cremated cadavers are dumped. In Varanasi, some 40,000 cremations are performed each year, most on wood pyres that do not completely consume the body. Along with the remains of these traditional funerals, there are thousands more who cannot afford cremation and whose bodies are simply thrown me. In addition, the carcasses of thousands of dead cattle, which are sacred to Hindus, go into the river each year. An inadequate cremation procedure contributes to a large number of partially burnt or unburnt corpses floating down me.
Hundreds of corpses burn on the line of wooden pyres. Soot-covered men bustle about, raking in the still-glowing ashes, sweeping them into the river. Gray dust from the pyres floats atop the waves, mixing with flower garlands and foam. The dust and debris resurfaces some distance away, this time, intermixed with polythene bags, empty cans and dirty clothes. This is the holy Ganga at its holiest spot Varanasi.
The industrial pollutants also a major source of contamination in me. A total of 146 industries are reported to be located along me between Rishikesh and Prayagraj. 144 of these are in Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) and 2 in Uttrakhand. The major polluting industries on me are the leather industries, especially near Kanpur, which use large amounts of Chromium and other toxic chemical waste, and much of it finds its way into the meager flow of me. From the plains to the sea, pharmaceutical companies, electronics plants, textile and paper industries, tanneries, fertilizer manufacturers and oil refineries discharge effluent into me. This hazardous waste includes hydrochloric acid, mercury and other heavy metals, bleaches and dyes, pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls highly toxic compounds that accumulate in animal and human tissue.
The tannery industry mushrooming in North India has converted me into a dumping ground. The tanning industry discharges different types of waste into the environment, primarily in the form of liquid effluents containing organic matters, chromium, sulphide ammonium and other salts. According to the information obtained from the UP State Pollution Control Board, there are 402 tanneries operating in the city Kanpur of which 65 were closed on September 17, 2010 issuing notices to 253 tanneries operating in the city, the State Pollution Control Board has asked them to comply with central norms to curb pollution within 15 days or face consequences.
A division bench of the Allahabad high court on January 19, 2011 asked UP chief secretary, who was present in the court, to file an affidavit about the action taken against those who were found involved in polluting me. The bench will now hear this case on February 14, next. The bench expressed concerned over the pollution in me and said that at Sangam in Allahabad I am dirty and my colour is brown.
I am getting polluted day-by-day. Nearly 170 factories and tanneries located between Kannauj and Varanasi, covering an area of 450 km, were found responsible for polluting me by discharging wastes into me without treatment,” Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh told reporters on August 28, 2010. “The government will issue show cause notices to these industrial units on August 30 and if they fail to take any action within 15 days, steps would be initiated to shut them,” he said. In 1996, the Supreme Court had banned the discharge of effluents from various tanneries and factories located on its banks in Kanpur.
However, industry is not the only source of pollution. Sheer volume of waste - estimated at nearly 1 billion litres per day - of mostly untreated raw sewage - is a significant factor. Runoff from farms in my basin adds chemical fertilizers and pesticides such as DDT, which is banned in the United States because of its toxic and carcinogenic effects on humans and wildlife. Damming me or diverting my water, mainly for irrigation purposes, also adds to the pollution crisis. Atmospheric deposition of heavy metals emitted from vehicles and presence of industrial units adjoining me is adding to the pollution load on the river, researchers have found on May 2010.
Decades-long efforts by the government to breathe life into me through massive clean-up programmes have come to naught. Consider this: Over Rs 1,000 crore have been pumped into me Action Plan I and II between 1985 and 2000, but Indias holiest river is still sullied. Discharge of untreated wastewater from towns along me constitutes the major source of pollution load for the river. Against the estimated wastewater generation of around 3000 million liters per day (mld) from towns along the river Ganga, sewage treatment capacity of 1025 mld has been created so far under the Ganga Action Plan. This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests(Independent Charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh in Rajya Sabha on August 02, 2010.
The incidence of gall bladder disease is high among people living near me and my tributaries, says the largest-ever study of the local population over six years.A team of doctors from Mumbai conducted the study and found high concentrations of heavy metals in the water and soil of 60 villages along the Indo-Gangetic plains that could be contributing to the disease. The study was published last week of January 2011 in the online edition of HPB, the official journal of the International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association. It has identified eight villages in Bihar's Vaishali district, located near the river Gandak, with an unusually high rate of gall bladder disease.
