5 Snapshot of What Ails the River Ganga
Great civilizations have been known to flourish along rivers. Abuse of these rivers
is a form of self-destruction since if a river dies, civilizations have known to perish.
Between September 2019 and January 2020, a Ganga Sadbhavana (Goodwill)
Yatra was undertaken by the Jan Jal Jodo Abhiyan, a campaign of academics,
scientists, civil society and activists. The Yatra traveled across the five states
through which the Ganga flows: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and
West Bengal.
The White Paper on the Ganga that emerged from the Yatra threw up disturbing
information as indicated below.
The river was adversely affected across all five states through which it flows. Road
broadening, encroachment, blasting and sand mining had affected river flow. In
several places, it had stopped flowing altogether. Pollution from industry, agriculture
and sewage had turned this vibrant river system into a receptacle of waste, far beyond
the river’s carrying capacity, and in spite of holding the river in high regard.
In Uttarakhand, considerable soil erosion was taking place due to Char Dham
construction activities being undertaken that too without requisite precautionary
measures. Areas around Haridwar were being exploited due to mining, affecting the
river. In Uttar Pradesh, the river was being heavily polluted due to agricultural and
industrial pollutants. Considerable investments were made to clean up the ghats or
build new ones, with little positive impact on the river per se. In Bihar, dredging
was affecting the river and leading to ecological migration. Pollution due to industry
and agriculture and sewage disposal had affected several tributaries and the main
river itself. In Jharkhand, the factories were dissolving effluent ashes in hot water
which was finding its way into the river and affecting the biodiversity and water
quality. In West Bengal, in addition to severe erosion pollution levels were high.
More the investment into cleaning the Ganga, more was the deterioration. The
Ganga continued to be in ‘ICU,’ undergoing ‘treatment’ from doctors who were
unable to comprehend the treatment that was required. In spite of being on her
deathbed, the Ganga continued to be eyed for economic gain.
The Yatra corroborated evidence that the health of the people along the Ganga
was closely linked to the health of the river. Medical evidence reveals an alarming
rise in the incidence of cancer amongst those living in the Ganga river basin.
Studies conducted by the National Cancer Registry Program informed that people
living alongside the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal are more prone
to cancer than anywhere else in the country. Thus, the health of a river is also linked
to our health, the balance between surface and groundwater and hence to sustainability of water resources and to other vibrant living ecosystems.
A report commissioned by the NGT after the Ardh Kumbh pointed out that large
amount of untreated sewage had leaked into the river and the groundwater. The
plastic lining to be used in septic tanks to prevent leaching was missing. The report
blamed the Kumbh Mela authorities to be uncooperative and attempting to
Tackling Water Quality Issues
81
Great civilizations have been known to flourish along rivers. Abuse of these rivers
is a form of self-destruction since if a river dies, civilizations have known to perish.
Between September 2019 and January 2020, a Ganga Sadbhavana (Goodwill)
Yatra was undertaken by the Jan Jal Jodo Abhiyan, a campaign of academics,
scientists, civil society and activists. The Yatra traveled across the five states
through which the Ganga flows: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and
West Bengal.
The White Paper on the Ganga that emerged from the Yatra threw up disturbing
information as indicated below.
The river was adversely affected across all five states through which it flows. Road
broadening, encroachment, blasting and sand mining had affected river flow. In
several places, it had stopped flowing altogether. Pollution from industry, agriculture
and sewage had turned this vibrant river system into a receptacle of waste, far beyond
the river’s carrying capacity, and in spite of holding the river in high regard.
In Uttarakhand, considerable soil erosion was taking place due to Char Dham
construction activities being undertaken that too without requisite precautionary
measures. Areas around Haridwar were being exploited due to mining, affecting the
river. In Uttar Pradesh, the river was being heavily polluted due to agricultural and
industrial pollutants. Considerable investments were made to clean up the ghats or
build new ones, with little positive impact on the river per se. In Bihar, dredging
was affecting the river and leading to ecological migration. Pollution due to industry
and agriculture and sewage disposal had affected several tributaries and the main
river itself. In Jharkhand, the factories were dissolving effluent ashes in hot water
which was finding its way into the river and affecting the biodiversity and water
quality. In West Bengal, in addition to severe erosion pollution levels were high.
More the investment into cleaning the Ganga, more was the deterioration. The
Ganga continued to be in ‘ICU,’ undergoing ‘treatment’ from doctors who were
unable to comprehend the treatment that was required. In spite of being on her
deathbed, the Ganga continued to be eyed for economic gain.
The Yatra corroborated evidence that the health of the people along the Ganga
was closely linked to the health of the river. Medical evidence reveals an alarming
rise in the incidence of cancer amongst those living in the Ganga river basin.
Studies conducted by the National Cancer Registry Program informed that people
living alongside the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal are more prone
to cancer than anywhere else in the country. Thus, the health of a river is also linked
to our health, the balance between surface and groundwater and hence to sustainability of water resources and to other vibrant living ecosystems.
A report commissioned by the NGT after the Ardh Kumbh pointed out that large
amount of untreated sewage had leaked into the river and the groundwater. The
plastic lining to be used in septic tanks to prevent leaching was missing. The report
blamed the Kumbh Mela authorities to be uncooperative and attempting to
Tackling Water Quality Issues
81