Follow the river & you will get the sea.......

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, wrote, "The Ganges, above all, is the river of India which has held India's heart captive & drawn uncounted millions to her banks since the dawn of history. The story of the Ganges, from her source to the sea, from old times to new, is the story of India's civilization & culture...."

       

       The Ganga is a trans-boundary river between India & Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, & flows south & east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges basin is the most heavily populated river basin in the world. Today, the Ganga is among the top five most polluted rivers in the world. The pollution threatens not only humans, but also more than 140 fish species, 90 amphibian species & the endangered Ganges river dolphin.

        Indeed, the Ganga has remained a symbol of religious & spiritual faith for the country, with millions of Hindus visiting its banks to cleanse themselves of their sins & offen prayers.

        On November 4, 2008, the Ganga was officially declared India's 'National river'. But there is a flip side to the story.

        Our National River is also one of the most polluted rivers in the country, & one of the 10 most threatened river basins in the world. The quality of the Gnaga's water is steadily worsening. Now, not only is the water unfit for drinking, but it would also be harmful to use for agricultural purposes. The level of Coliform bacteria, a type of bacteria that indicates the purity of water, should be below 50 for drinking & below 5000 for agricultural use. The present level of the Coliform in the Ganga at Haridwar is 5500 a study conducted by the Uttaranchal, a study conducted by the Uttaranchal environment protection & pollution control (UEPPCB) slotted river water into four categories, A being fit for drinking, B for bathing, C for agriculture & D is for excessive pollution level. The Ganga's water was given a definite D.

         The population explosion has led to industrialisation , urbanisation & poverty & put great pressure on the river. Most of the river's pollution is due to the careless disposal of human faeces, urine & sewage directly into the river, all the way from its mouth at Gaumukh till Haridwar.

        Almost 1.4 billion litres of untreated sewage is disposed off into the Ganga, with each of the 27 cities located along its banks contributing to this number. During the pilgrimage session, the amount is even higher, as almost 15 lakh pilgrims visit the state & pay a visit to the holy river. 

       It isn't just sewage that is polluting the river. Haridwar being holy Hindu ground, the river is used for post cremation rituals. Medical waste, which is toxic ^ harmul, from the base hospital in Srinagar (Uttarakhand) is also dumped into the river.

      The tannery industry of North India uses the river as a dumping ground, contributing heavily to the water's pollution. A stretch of the Yamuna, the Ganga's main tributary, has been empty of aquatic life for at least a decade because the pollution does not allow any life forms to thrive in the water.

      Over the years, peoples have become more aware of the dangers this level of pollution in the Ganga poses for both human life as well as the eco system. The very river that is the life source of many is fast turning poisonous. Various steps have been taken to protect & restore the Ganga.

     The Ganga Action Plan was launched in 1986 by the Government of India. Despite heavy expenditure, the plan was not a success. Now, the centre has promised that by 2020, the Ganga will be free of pollutants. On November 1, 2010, the 135 km long stretch between Gaumukh (the river's source) & Uttarkashi was declared an eco-sensitive zone. Three hydro projects proposed on the river were also discontinued.

      It will be important to see how effective these plans, strategies, policies & drafts are to cherish the purity & sanctity of the life-line of India called The Ganga & for this to come true, these little steps must be converted into the giants ones because" follow the river & you will get the sea."