PROJECT REPORT

(Submitted for the Degree of B.COM (HONOURS) under the University of Calcutta)

TITLE OF THE PROJECT

POLLUTION OF RIVER GANGA

SUBMITTED BY:

Name of the Candidate: RAHUL KUMAR ROY

Name of the College : SURENDRANATH EVENING
COLLEGE
Registration No. : 117-1121-0288-12
College Roll No.: 99

SUPERVISED BY:

Name of the Supervisor: PROF. BARENDRANATH RAY

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 CONTENTS

PARTICULARS PAGE NO.

Acknowledgement 4

Aims and objectives of NMCG 5

Introduction 6

Causes of pollution in ganga 6-8

Effects of pollution 9-10

Conservation of the river 11-14

Narendra Modi’s mission to clean ganga 15-22

Control or awareness on ganga pollution 23-24

Conclusion 25

References 26

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my teacher, PROF.

BARENDRANATH RAY of SURENDRANATH EVENING
COLLEGE , who gave me the golden opportunity to do my study
on “ POLLUTION OF RIVER GANGA “ I am also grateful to
her for her exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant
encouragement throughout the course of my project. Last but not
the least, I wish to avail myself of this opportunity to express a
sense of gratitude and love to my friends and my beloved parents
for their moral support, strength, help and encouragement.

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 AIM & OBJECTIVE OF NMCG

The aims and objectives of NMCG is to accomplish the mandate of National

Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) of 

1.To ensure effective abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Ganga by
adopting a river basin approach to promote inter-sectoral co-ordination for
comprehensive planning and management and 
2.To maintain minimum ecological flows in the river Ganga with the aim of ensuring
water quality and environmentally sustainable development.

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 INTRODUCTION

The Ganges River Winding 1,560 miles across northern India, from the Himalaya
Mountains to the Indian Ocean, the Ganges River is not a sacred place: it is a
sacred entity. Known as Ganga Ma — Mother Ganges — the river is revered as a
goddess whose purity cleanses the sins of the faithful and aids the dead on their path
toward heaven. But while her spiritual purity has remained unchallenged for millennia,
her physical purity has deteriorated as India’s booming population imposes an ever-
growing burden upon her. The river is now sick with the pollution of human and
industrial waste, and water-borne illness is a terrible factor of Indian life. But the
threat posed by this pollution isn’t just a matter of health — it’s a matter of faith.
Veer Badra Mishra, a Hindu priest and civil engineer who has worked for decades to
combat pollution in the Ganges, describes the importance of protecting this sacred
river: “There is a saying that the Ganges grants us salvation. This culture will end if
the people stop going to the river, and if the culture dies the tradition dies, and the
faith dies.

CAUSES OF POLLUTION IN GANGA

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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.

 Countless tanneries's chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and

hospitals contribute to the pollution of the Ganges by dumping untreated waste into it.
Industrial effluents are about 12% of the total volume of effluent reaching the Ganges.
Although a relatively low proportion, they are a cause for major concern because they
are often toxic and non-biodegradable.

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 During festival seasons, over 70 million people bathe in the Ganges over a few
weeks to cleanse themselves from their sins. Some materials like food, waste or
leaves are left in the Ganges for ritualistic reasons.
 Traditionally urban and rural areas wastes and industrial effluents are thrown to
rivers, besides many of the wastes including carcasses of animal, burnt of half burnt
deadbodies from burning ghats are also thrown into the riverThe overflow of the crop
fields also fall into the river.Due to increase in population intensity of pollutants has
increased manifold. Most important reasons are due to improper planning of disposal
of wastes,sewarage,effluents of various industries,dead bodies of animals even burnt
and incompletly burnt dead bodies are thrown into the river including over of crop
fields charged with plant nutrients fall into the river.There are chances of oil spills
from motor launces ferrying in the river. 
The effect of the pollutants increase in organic matter in river water,presence of toxic
chemicals in water,impair light penetration due to oil spill (though in lesser
extent).All these results in low b.o.d level in water which makes survial of aquatic
fauna including fish difficultToxic chemicals contaminates water and make it unfit for
drinking and also get incorporated into the body of fish and finally human beining
gets affected when such fish is consumed.

 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.

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 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.

 Some of the main Ganges river pollution contributors are those in industry -
specifically in this case those of the leather industry who use vast amounts of
chromium and other toxins and chemicals - the majority of which ends up in the slow
paced waters of the Ganges during the dry season, peak time for the tanning industry
and also when the river is moving at its slowest.Thanks to globalisation, international,
national and local government this trend seems unlikely to get better with more and
more factories cropping up every week and all running under a distinct lack of
regulations.

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 EFFECTS OF POLLUTION

MARINE LIFE : The results of mercury analysis in various specimens collected along the
basin indicated that some fish muscles tended to accumulate high levels of mercury. Of it,
approximately 50–84% was organic mercury. A strong positive correlation between
mercurylevels in muscle with food habit and fish length was found.

The Ganges River dolphin is one of few species of fresh water dolphins in the world.
Listed as an endangered species, their population is believed to be less than 2000.
Hydroelectric and irrigation dams along the Ganges that prevents the dolphins from
traveling up and down river is the main reason for their reducing population.

 WILDLIFE : Some of the dams being constructed along the Ganges basin will submerge
substantial areas of nearby forest. For example, the Kotli-Bhel dam at Devprayag will
submerge 1200 hectares of forest, wiping out the river otters and 'mahaseer' (a kind of
fish) that are found here. Wildlife biologists in India have been warning that the wild
animals will find it difficult to cope with the changed situation.

 HUMAN BEINGS: An analysis of the Ganges water in 2006 showed significant

associations between water-borne/enteric disease pop and the use of the river for bathing,
laundry, washing, eating, cleaning utensils, and brushing teeth. Water in the Ganges has
been correlated to contracting dysentery, cholera, hepatitis, as well as severe diarrhea
which continues to be one of the leading causes of death of children in India.

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 THERMAL POLLUTION : Thermal pollution is the degradation of water quality by any
process that changes ambient water temperature. A common cause of thermal pollution is
the use of water as a coolant by power plants and industrial manufacturers. When water
used as a coolant is returned to the natural environment at a higher temperature, the
change in temperature decreases oxygen supply and affects ecosystem composition.
Urban runoff–stormwater discharged to surface waters from roads and parking lots–can
also be a source of elevated water temperatures.

 EOCOLOGICAL EFFECTS : Elevated temperature typically decreases the level

of dissolved oxygen of water. This can harm aquatic animals such as fish, amphibiansand
other aquatic organisms. Thermal pollution may also increase the metabolic rate of
aquatic animals, as enzyme activity, resulting in these organisms consuming more food in
a shorter time than if their environment were not changed. An increased metabolic rate
may result in fewer resources; the more adapted organisms moving in may have an
advantage over organisms that are not used to the warmer temperature. As a result, food
chains of the old and new environments may be compromised. Some fish species will
avoid stream segments or coastal areas adjacent to a thermal discharge.

 WATER POLLUTION : Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies

(e.g. lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers and groundwater). Water pollution occurs
when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without
adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds.
Water pollution affects plants and organisms living in these bodies of water. In almost all
cases the effect is damaging not only to individual species and populations, but also to the
natural biological communities.

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 CONSERVATION OF THE RIVER:
Besides being a holy river for Hindus, the Ganges also provides water to millions of people in
India. Unfortunately, billions of liters of human feces and other sewage is dumped into this
river, threatening not only humans, but the natural ecosystem of the river. Fortunately, there
are people in the Indian government and regular citizens looking to bring attention to this
problem.

 GANGA ACTION PLAN (GAP) : The Ganga Action Plan or GAP was a program
launched in January 1986 in order to reduce the pollution load on the river. But the efforts
to decrease the pollution level in the river were unsuccessful even after spending Rs
9017 million. Therefore, this plan was withdrawn on 31 March 2000. The steering
Committee of the National River Conservation Authority reviewed the progress of the
GAP and necessary correction on the basis of lessons learned and experiences gained
from the GAP; phase 2 schemes have been completed under this plan. A million litres of
sewage is targeted to be intercepted, diverted and treated. Phase-II of the program was
approved in stages from 1993 onwards, and included the following tributaries of the
Ganges: Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar and Mahananda. As of 2011, it is currently under
implementation.
 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.
 NATIONAL GANGA RIVER BASIN PROJECT (NGRB) : NGRB wants to create a
municipal sewage system to stop point source pollution such as untreated sewage.  This
would include a clean water supply, sewage systems and solid waste disposal in all the
cities in the Ganges basin.  Through partnership and transfer of knowledge, NGRB wants
to change the ideology of the populous living along the Ganges basin to stop second
source pollution.  This means changing the way people interpret the purity of the Ganges
basin verse its acual cleanliness.
 NAMAMI GANGA : In the budget tabled in Parliament on July 10, 2014, the Union
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced an integrated Ganga development project
titled Namami Ganga and allocated  2,037 crore for this purpose.

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ADVANCED INTEGRATED WASTE WATER POND SYSTEM (AIWPS) :
Through AIWPS, tanneries will be able to remove the chromium and raw sewage will be
treated, allowing clean effluents.  This is done through a series of ponds that help break down
organic matter and remove fecal bacteria and chromium.  The pH level of the effluents will
drop from 11.2-12 down to 8-8.4, which allows for appropriate discharge into the Ganges
basin.  AIWPS can clean 37 million litres of waste water daily (Das, 2012). 

NATIONAL RIVER GANGA BASIN AUTHORITY (NRGBA) : NRGBA was established

by the Central Government of India, on 20 February 2009 under Section 3 of the
Environment Protection Act, 1986. It also declared Ganges as the "National River" of
India. The chair includes the Prime Minister of India and Chief ministers of states through
which the Ganges flows. In 2011, the World Bank "approved $1 billion in funding for the
National Ganga River Basin Authority.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA : The Supreme Court has been working on the closure and
relocation of many of the industrial plants like tulsi along the Ganges and in 2010 the
government declared the stretch of river between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi an "eco-sensitive
zone”.

Save Ganga Movement : Save Ganga Movement is a widespread Gandhian non-violent

movement supported by saints and popular social activists across the Indian States Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar in support of a free Ganga. The movement is supported by Ganga Seva
Abhiyanam, Pune-based National Women's Organisation (NWO) besides those of many other

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like-minded organisations and with the moral support. from many religious leaders, spiritual
and political, scientists, environmentalists, writers and social activists.Ganga Calling–Save
Ganga is another such campaign supported by Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action
(ICELA).

NATIONAL MISSION FOR CLEAN GANGA (NMCG) : National Mission for Clean
Ganga (NMCG) is the implementation wing of National Ganga River Basin Authority
(NGRBA). It is a registered society originally formed by Ministry of Environment, Forests
and Climate Change(MoEFCC) on 12th August 2011 under the Societies Registration Act,
1860. As per the 306th amendment in the Government of India (Allocation of
Business) Rules, 1961, both NGRBA and NMCG are allocated to the Ministry of Water
Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation(MoWR,RD &GR). Accordingly the
General Body of NMCG is being re constituted. The Secretary to the Government of India,
MoWR, RD & GR is the current chairman of the Governing Council of NMCG. As per the
approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the mandate of NGRBA is
being implemented by, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). At national level
NMCG is the coordinating body and is being supported by States Level Program
Management Groups (SPMGs) of UP, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal which, are also
registered as societies under Societies Registration Act, 1860 and a dedicated Nodal Cell in
Jharkhand. 

    The area of operation of NMCG shall be the Ganga River Basin, including the states
through which Ganga flows, as well as the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The area of
operation may be extended, varied or altered in future, by the Governing Council to such
other states through which major tributaries of the river Ganga flow, and as the National
Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) may decide for the purpose of effective abatement of
pollution and conservation of the river GANGA.

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The river pollution plan being “action” orientated, avoids involvement in long – term
town planning, which continues to remain deficient with respect to environmental
sanitation. This is due to a lack of overview by any stakeholding agency and to the
blinkered foresight by the already beleaguered city authorities who remain perpetually
short of funds for their daily crisis management.

The most important lesson learned was the need for control of
pathogenic contamination in treated effluent. This could not be tackled before because
of a lack of safe and suitable technology but is now being attempted through research
and by developing a suitable indigenous technology, which should not impart traces
of any harmful residues in the treated effluent detrimental to the aquatic life. This is
an aspect difficult to control in surface waters in tropical areas, but it is very
important for the Ganga because the river water is used directly by millions of
devout individuals for drinking and bathing.

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 NARENDRA MODI’S MISSION TO CLEAN GANGA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to Varanasi and showed a hope to clean the holy River
Ganga during his election campaign. Cleaning of Ganga has also been mentioned in the
manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) under the cultural heritage sections. They made
certain changes in the administration to perform the task. The Ganga Action Plan which was
part of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has now been shifted under Water
Resources Minister Uma Bharti.
It is imperative to keep natural resources pure as these sustain life and maintain ecological
balance. Increased inflow of industrial waste, untreated sewage and reduced natural flow of
the river are the major factors leading to water pollution. As per experts it is essential to bring
back the ecological flow of the Ganga which is joined by 115 small rivers. Out of these seven
small rivers have been restored and work has to be done on the remaining 108 to revive the
ecological flow.

HISTORY OF PROJECTS TO CLEAN GANGA:

The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) – Way back in 1986, the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi
launched Rs 462-crore project to clean the Ganga in Varanasi. Under this plan sewage
treatment plants were set up, raw sewage was cut off and diverted, electric and wood
crematoria was set up and low-cost sanitation facilities were provided. The Ganga Action
Plan was not successful so refuted on 31 March 2000 but phase II of the programe got
approval. Till Feb 2014 Rs 939 crore had been spent on the Ganga Action Plan including 524
different schemes.
The National Ganga River Basin Authority (NRBA) – Former Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh was the head of the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NRBA), a regulatory body
formed in February 2009 with an objective to reduce pollution and to conserve the Ganga.
But he along with two more members resigned from the post because of lack of
accountability and commitment. NRBA had been granted FUND of Rs 3,031 to operate 56
schemes in 44 towns. As per available data Rs 785 crore had already been spent till
September 2013. NRBA was supported by the National Ganga River Basin Project.

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Supreme Court of India – Closure and relocation of industrial plants along the Ganges is
tackled by the Supreme Court of India. Stretch of the river between Gaumukh and Uttarkashi
has been termed as ‘eco-sensitive zone’ in 2010.
Save Ganga Movement – Gandhian non-violent movement with saints and social science
activist as its supporters. National Women’s Organisation (NWO) and many other such
organizations also take interest in this cause.
Ganga Calling – Save Ganga – A campaign supported by Indian Council for Enviro-Legal
Action (ICELA).

FACTS ON THE RIVER GANGES AND ITS POLLUTION

Total distance covered by the river is 400,000 square miles.

The River covers 29 cities having a population of more than 100,000, flows through 23 cities
having population between 50,000 and 100,000 and near about 48 towns.
The Ganga is considered as the holiest river in India with massive spiritual, religious and
ritual significance. Near about 40% of Indian population survive on Ganga by using its water.
The Ganges tolerate domestic waste such as defecation, untreated industrial waste, and
pollution during religious events. Every day 1.7 billion litres of such waste run into the river.
Near about 89 million litres of sewage is disposed off in the river daily.
The Ganges is one of the most polluted rivers in India in which level of pollutants is more
than 3000 times than the permissible limit defined by the WHO as ‘safe’.
As per studies carried out by the Uttarakhand Environment Conservation and Pollution
Control Board, the Ganges water near Haridwar has Coliform bacteria at 5,500 level which is
100 times more than the permissible limit. Directly pouring human feces, urine and sewage
into river is the major reason of this rise. Coliform bacteria is found human colons but
become highly hazardous when found in water or food.
Half-burned or unburned human dead bodies as well as animal carcasses are thrown into the
river.
Harmful pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture run-offs pollute the water. The water of this
holy river has become unfit for drinking, bathing and not even safe for agriculture purposes.
Mercury has also been found in the Ganga River water in the study conducted by the
Environmental Biology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Patna University. Though

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mercury contamination has not reached to an alarming level but its presence is still
worrisome.
In spite of all the plans, actions, schemes and funds, the River Ganga is still polluted.

Save Ganga Movement is a widespread Gandhian non-violent movement supported by

saints and popular social activists across the Indian States Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in support
of a free Ganga. The movement is supported by Ganga Seva Abhiyanam, Pune-based
National Women's Organisation (NWO) besides those of many other like-minded
organisations and with the moral support from many religious leaders, spiritual and political,
scientists, environmentalists, writers and social activists. Ganga Calling – Save Ganga is
another such campaign supported by Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action (ICELA).

Causes

Pollution of the Ganges

Pollution at the ghats of Varanasi.

Ganga Dashahara in 2005 brought throngs of bathers to the riverfront inHaridwar. (Religious
association of Ganga also accounts for an appreciable degree of pollution.)

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Wastes and left overs of tours and picnics flowing in Ganges.

Timeline of retreat of Gangotri glacier.

(Note that the blue contour lines drawn here to show the recession of the glacier’s terminus
over time are approximate.)

Ganges is the largest and the most sacred river of India with enormous spiritual, cultural, and
physical influence. It provides water to about 40% of India's population in 11 states. It is
estimated that the livelihoods of over 500 million people in India are dependent upon the
river, and that one-third of India's population lives within the Ganges Basin. Despite this
magnitude of influence and control by the river over present and future of the country, it is
allegedly under direct threat from various man made and natural environmental issues.

Pollution

River Ganges flows through the most densely populated regions of India passing 29 cities
with population over 100,000, 23 cities with population between 50,000 and 100,000, and
about 48 towns. A sizeable proportion of the effluents in Ganges are caused by this
population through domestic usage like bathing, laundry and public defecation. Countless
tanneries, chemical plants, textile mills, distilleries, slaughterhouses, and hospitals contribute

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to the pollution of the Ganges by dumping untreated toxic and non-biodegradable waste into
it. It is this sheer volume of pollutants released into the river every day that are causing
irreparable damage to the ecosystem and contributing to significant sanitation issues.

Dams

Built in 1854 during the British colonisation of India, the Haridwar dam has led to decay of
the Ganges by greatly diminishing the flow of the river. The Farakka Barrage was built
originally to divert fresh water into the Bhagirathi River but has since caused an increase of
salinity in the Ganges, having a damaging effect on the ground water and soil along the
river. Apart from this, Bangladesh and India faced major tensions due to this barrage. The
government of India planned about 300 dams on the Ganges in the near future and the
tributaries despite a government-commissioned green panel report that has recommended
scrapping 34 of the dams citing environmental concerns.

Global warming

Gangotri glacier which feeds the river Ganges is 30.2 km long and between 0.5 and 2.5 km
wide is one of the largest in the Himalaya. However, Due to global warming it has been
receding since 1780, although studies show its retreat quickened after 1971. Over the last 25
years, Gangotri glacier has retreated more than 850 meters, with a recession of 76 meters
from 1996 to 1999 alone. The UN 2007 Climate Change Report has suggested that the glacial
flow may completely stop by 2030, at which point the Ganges would be reduced to a seasonal
river during the monsoon season.

Failure of Ganga Action Plan

The Ganga Action Plan or GAP was a program launched by Rajiv Gandhi in April 1986 to
reduce the pollution load on the river. But the efforts to decrease the pollution level in the

river became abortive even after spending र 9017.1 million (~190 million USD adjusting to
inflation). Therefore, this plan was withdrawn on 31 March 2000. This plan is described as
failure by many scientist and NGOs in their studies.

Movements:

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The movement did not build up sudden. Concerns about the condition of Ganges were raised
for time ago which gained impetus is past few years owing to awareness and support from
keen environmentalists. Furthermore, different studies revealed the deteriorating health of the
river. In 1998, Smt Rama Rauta, the founder of National Women's Organization (NWO)
under the leadership of Dr. Sushila Nair conceived the necessity to initiate public
mobilisation based on the principles of Non violence to seek support for Save Ganga
Movement – against the pollution of Ganges and its tributaries. A seminar on Ganga aur
hamaaraa daayitvaon (Ganga and our duty) was conducted on 13 November 1998 at Kanpur.
Soon popular Gandhians, Shri Sunderlal Bahuguna and Dr. Kanchanlata Sabarwal, also
joined the Movement.

Mega rally of June 2012

Moved by the government's inaction towards saving the Ganges, the eminent Ganga Mukti
Sangram Saamiti decided to initiate a mass drive by gathering thousands of Ganga Devotees
along with the Ganga Rath which travelled through Varanasi on 14 June and then to
Allahabad, Kanpur, Matura, Vrindavan and finally reach to Delhi on 17 June.
Shankaracharya of Dwarka Sharda Pithas Swami Svarūpānanda Sarasvatī who also joined
the movement at Jantar Mantar in Delhi gave an ultimatum of three months to the Central
government over the government's apathetic attitude towards the protection and conservation
of the National River.

Acharya Jitendra

Acharya Jitendra is National General Secretary of Ganga Mahasabha.He is working for

Ganga since 2000.He is a well known Social Activist(Environmentalist) in India. It was his
effort to convince Mr. Lal Krishna Advani in 2008 to compel the Chief Minister B.C.
Khanduri to abandon all state hydro-dam projects on the Ganga and persuade Professor Guru
Das Agrawal G. D. Agrawal to give up his fast within 24 hours. In 2010 Again Acharya
Jitendraplayed a crucial role to stop the Loharinag Pala Hydel Project – On The Ganga.
As K.N. Govindacharya said HE WORKED behind the scenes for three years, interfacing
with people and like Baba Ramdev and Acharya Jitendra, environmentalists and politicians of
all hues. He even approached senior Congress leaders for their support. When a favourable
atmosphere was created, he met Pranab Mukherjee, leading a delegation of the Ganga
Mahasabha. He then spoke to senior Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal and the

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Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rajnath Singh, who persuaded CM Ramesh Pokhriyal to write to the
PM, asking him to scrap the Loharinag Pala project.

Nigamanand

In early 2011, a Hindu seer named Swami Nigamananda Saraswati fasted unto death,
protesting against illegal mining happening in the district of Haridwar (in Uttarakhand)
resulting in pollution. Following his death in June 2011, his Ashram leader Swami
Shivananda fasted for 11 days starting on 25 November 2011, taking his movement forward.
Finally, the Uttarkhand government released an order to ban illegal mining all over Haridwar
district. According to administration officials, quarrying in the Ganges would now be studied
by a special committee which would assess its environmental impacts the river and its nearby
areas.

Prof. G. D. Agrawal

Noted environmental activist, Prof. G. D. Agrawal Patron of Ganga Mahasabha sat for fast
unto death on twice in 2008 and 2009. to protest the building of dams in the Upper course of
Ganges. On both occasions, Dr. Agrawal was successful in stopping thermal damming
construction in this sensitive and sacred region of India. Due to support from other social
activists like Anna Hazare, the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh admitted publicly
to cease any further hydroelectric damming of the Ganga in Uttarkhand. He also called for a
National River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA) meeting and urged the authorities to utilize
the   26 billion (about 520M US$) sanctioned "for creating sewer networks, sewage
treatment plants, sewage pumping stations, electric crematoria, community toilets and
development of river fronts".

Narendra Modi

Former Chief Minister of Gujarat, P.M. Narendra Modi has been very bent on the issue of the
holy river, and has promised the Parliament of India to get the holy river clean and out of
misery, as the density of coli-form bacteria have risen from 5,000 per 100ml to 58,000 per
100ml, which is 11.6 over the acceptable limit. So far, Rs 20,000 crore has gone into the
cleaning of the Ganga—most of it down the drain. From household waste to construction
debris, from used irrigation water containing fertilizer and pesticides to industrial waste, from
people bathing in the river to ashes immersed in it, the Ganga is abused. Modiji has got many
people into this movement, now it is up to us and him to help the holy river.

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Demands:

The movement is solely aimed at one goal – to prevent the anti-nature, anti-human, anti-
environment activities against Ganges and sustain the cultural importance, holiness and age
old heritage of the same. Though most of the demands are directly related to the pollution and
construction works overs Ganges, there are ought to be several demands related indirectly to
these.

No construction

It is demanded that the Upper course of Ganges should be strictly disallowed any kind of
damning and construction work. It should be declared a Wild River zone and visits by tourists
and people to Gangotri National Park should also be regulated and toned down. Eco-friendly
tourism should replace the present eco-hostile tourism. Time-bound steps for non-commercial
afforestation of the Uttarakhand should be undertaken and these activities should be carried
by the local people, using samplings of local plants. This demand was backed by a recent
report prepared by the state-funded Wildlife Institute of India that recommended scrapping 34
of the Ganges dam projects, citing environmental concerns.

POLLUTION REGULATION

Ganga suffer from a large scale pollution due to common practices like bathing, washing,
putting flowers and idols into the river creating filthy and unhygienic conditions. Dismal
civic conditions, bad smell and unavailability of basic amenities like toilets and changing
rooms could be seen. Most of the ghats could be seen with a series of iron grills erected on
stony platform, laden with heaps of garbage and rotten stuff. Animal loitering on ghats,
troubling the residents and devotees is the other problem.

It is necessary to frame some rules and guidelines for the Civic authorities and municipalities
to carry out a scheduled and continued cleaning effort from the concerned officials.

CONTROL OR AWARENESS ON GANGA POLLUTION

Mass awareness against environmental degradation, especially against pollution of

air, water and land and deforestation and destruction of wildlife should be undertaken.

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a) T.V. and Radio are to be persuaded to give a substantial amount of prime time to create
such awareness, informing regularly about the water pollution levels of major rivers and of
air pollution levels in big cities and their adverse affect on the common people.
b) National laboratories such as NEERI, TRC, etc., must regularly monitor the pollution
levels of major rivers and inform the public about the hazardous effects through various
forms of mass media.
c) A comprehensive website on the Ganges and other rivers of our country should be created
for networking of various organisations and people involved in theGanga Action Plan and for
creating necessary mass-awareness for saving the Ganges and other rivers of our country.
d) Environmental ethics should be taught as a part of the syllabus on ethics, both at the school
as well as at the college level. Teaching environmental ethics without discussing the value
and means of an ethical life would be of little significance. We must study critically the views
of great religions and of great teachers and thinkers of mankind about various fundamental
issues of ethics.

Monitoring committee

It is demanded that a committee of experts to monitor the progress of the governmental

course of actions in this direction should be appointed. It should report all of its findings and
actions to the Supreme Court of India which direct the Central and State Governments.

GOVERNMENT’S EFFORTS
Panel to review projects on Ganges

Amid the building pressure from the Hindu leaders in the June mega rally, the government
proposed to set up an expert-panel which would review the situation and examine the
ecological impact of Hydel projects taken on the Himalayan rivers. The committee includes
representatives from the ministries of environment, power, and water resources and other
authorities and research institutions. From outside the government, the PMO has chosen
director general of Centre for Science and Environment Sunita Narain, former professor
of IIT-BHU and mahant of Sankat Mochan temple at Varanasi Virbhadra Mishra and head
of Tarun Bharat Sangh-Rajendra Singh. The committee wil also inspect previous reports
by IIT Roorkee and Wildlife Institute of India.

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NRGBA

To fulfill the demands of activists to have an independent monitoring committee for Ganges,
the government has proposed to upgrade the existing National Ganga River Basin
Authority (NRGBA) to the level of an independent commission along the lines of the
National Human Rights Commission through a new law.

CONTROVERSIES:

 Those groups who backed the construction of Hydel Power projects on course of river
Ganga, alleged that the agigators protesting against them were FUNDED by US, so that
India would buy Uranium from them to run its Nuclear Power Plants.
 Controversies were raised about alleged fixing of the agitation among the sadhus and
the Congress party. It is known that senior Congress leaders share old association with the
Shankaracharya of Shrada Jyotish and Dwarka Peeths Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati.
Since the launch of stir by the Ganga Seva Abhiyanam, initiated by the disciples of
Shankaracharya, the latter stayed away. However, the union government soon sprung into
action after the Shankaracharya reached the city to participate in the agitation. It raised
rumours of having this meet up between the two to be fixed.

CONCLUSION

Addressing pollution in the Ganges basin involves changing the treatment of effluent water
and preventing and changing the polluting practices.  This is more than a scientific endeavour
as it collides with the Indians religious beliefs and ways of life.  For more information
regarding the polluting in the Ganges basin please view The Agony of the Ganges film.

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The bottom line is that we all live downstream. If we don’t clean the Ganga we will be the
biggest losers—a generation will lose something as valuable and precious as rivers. This,
says CSE, is unacceptable. It is time governments understood this and redesigned the
programmes for cleaning the Ganga –

PRESENT STATUS:

The movement which made most of the news for 168 days, culminated to a halt by its
organizers after the then union coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal arrived in Delhi with the
thenPM Manmohan Singh's letter assuring of no new dam projects to start while works on
those which have already started would also be stopped. An inter-ministerial committee
constituted by the Prime Minister itself will submit its study report on dams creating hurdle in
the flow of Ganga in the same period. It was decided by the organising committee that
the Mahasangram would be halted only for three months and shall resume again in
September if no sufficient action is taken.

REFRENECES

1. Newspapers

2. Articles And Journals

3. Www.Google.Com Website

4. Behera, S., Areendran, G., Gautam, P., Sagur, V. (2011) For A Living Ganga –

Working with People and Aquatic Species.  WWF India: 1-84

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5. Das, P., Tamminga, K. 2012. "The Ganges and the GAP: An Assessment of Efforts to

Clean a Sacred River." Sustainability 8: 4, 1647-1668

6. Hamner, S., Anshuman, T., Rajesh, K.M., Bouskill, N., Broadaway, S., Pyle, B., Ford,

T. (2006) The role of water use patterns and sewage pollution in incidence of water-

borne/enteric diseases along the Ganges river in Varanasi, India. International

Journal Of Environmental Health Research 16: 2, 113-132

7. Morrison, D. National Geographic, (2011) India Stems Tide Of Pollution Into Ganges

River Retrieved Oct.2nd 2012.

8. Fromhttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/11/111123-india-ganges-river-

pollution/

9. Sampat, P. (1996) The river Ganges' long decline. World Watch 9: 4, 1-8

10. Vass, K., Mondal, S., Samanta, S., Suresh, V., Katiha, P. (2010) The environment and

fishery status of the river ganges. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 13: 4,

385-394

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