The Supreme Court’s sharp criticism of the government for its failure to clean up the Ganga has prompted the Centre to assure the Bench that it will complete the task by 2018. The government’s commitment is indeed heartening, but the judiciary’s observation that nothing concrete has been done in the past 29 years to clean the river is a grim reminder of the stupendous task ahead. The recent discovery of nearly 100 corpses, washed up in a shallow tributary of the Ganga in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, has provoked environmental concerns over the “health” of the sacred river.
The Ganga occupies a unique position in the history and civilization of the subcontinent because of its geographical, historical, socio-cultural and economic factors. It has over time lost much of its pristine character as a ‘river which flows’ Ironically enough, the degradation is the result of treating the river as just another resource commodity whose water is wasted as it flows into the sea. An understanding of the gravity of the problems of the river and its impact on the biotic communities is essential to visualize the huge task ahead for ameliorating the condition.
The major threats faced by the river are i) discharge of domestic, industrial and solid wastes; ii) disruption of the river’s connectivity by dams and barrages; and iii) over-exploitation of the biological resources. Domestic and municipal wastes are the primary sources of contamination, which has been estimated at 75 per cent. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has recorded that every day nearly 2,900 million litres of sewage are discharged into the “mainstream of the river” from municipal towns located along its banks. The existing infrastructure has a capacity to treat only 1,000 million litres a day. A huge quantity of untreated sewage is thus drained into the river.
Industrial pollutants constitute around 20 per cent of the total “pollutional load”. However, its contribution to polluting the river is much greater due to the higher concentration of non-biodegradable nature of pollutants. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, there are as many as 478 “grossly polluting units” along the Ganga and its tributaries. Of these, 335 units have ETPs operating satisfactorily and 79 units have been closed down. The problem of “instream pollution” is further aggravated by disposal of solid wastes, religious offerings, corpses and carcasses.
The second major threat to the river is posed by the multipurpose reservoirs and barrages constructed in the river basin over the past 50 years. There are 12 diversion and 10 storage projects on the mainstream of the river and its tributaries. These units generate projects that produce hydroelectricity or are used for irrigation.
The river is gradually shrinking. A study conducted by the National Centre for Atmosphere Research in Colorado, USA, concluded that there has been a significant reduction in the discharge to the ocean. In 2004, the Ganga had 20 per cent less water than it had 56 years earlier. The river water discharge during the lean months at Farrakka has shown a decline of about 10 per cent during 1992-97 in comparison to 1948-88.
There is growing evidence that many of the glaciers that feed the river through the process of melting have retreated very rapidly in recent years due to global warming. Excessive withdrawal of groundwater has also affected the base flow of the river as the groundwater table has fallen considerably. Deforestation in the catchment areas has reduced the forest cover of the Ganga basin from 24 to 14 per cent, resulting in soil erosion in the catchment areas . Studies reveal that the Ganga mobilizes a total of 729 X 106 tons of sediment annually within its river valley. The increase in sediment load has altered the water regime of the biologically sensitive deep pools and lakes of the river which play a vital role in eco-restoration. The wetlands in the river basins store the floodwater and release it during the lean months to maintain water in the main river. But in the last few decades 38 per cent of India’s wetlands have disappeared.
These factors are affecting the “instream aquatic habitat”, the biotic organisms and dependent riparian folk of the river. Most importantly, the river supports a rich diversity of aquatic life, notably fisheries that provide food and livelihood to over 7 million people of the Gangetic plains. A recent study conducted by Central lnland Fisheries Research Institute to assess the diversity of fish and the ecological integrity of the Ganga between 1960 and 2010 indicated a significant decline in fish production and alteration in the composition of fish species in the river. The alteration in the instream flow has also affected people who attach importance to the religious and cultural values of the river. A survey conducted in the mountain stretch of the Bhagirathi by the People’s Science Institute, Dehradun; in 2008 revealed that the river is not satisfying the devotees’ concept of the river.
The government, the scientific community and also the people have been aware of the problems of deteriorating water quality, the asthetic value, the declining fish population, and the growing scarcity of water resources for the past three decades. As early as 1974, the Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act were introduced. It created the Central and State Pollution Control Boards (CPCB &SPCBs ). An irrigation policy was formulated in 1972; it advocated the maximum crop production per unit area of arable land and the highest possible use of river water to bring the maximum possible area of agriculture under a single irrigation scheme. The National Water Policy, 2002, recognised water as part of a larger ecological system. Realizing the importance and scarcity of freshwater, it stressed the need to treat water as an essential environment for sustaining all life forms.
The Ganga Action Plan (GAP I), launched in 1985, envisaged what it called interception and diversion of wastewater and its treatment in sewage treatment plants before discharging into the river or land in 25 class-1 towns in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. To tackle the extent of pollution, GAP II was launched between 1993 and 1996 to cover 59 towns in five states ~ Uttarakhand , UP, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. Unfortunately, the quality of the Ganga water did not attain the targeted benchmark of “bathing class” (CPCB). The major constraint faced by the GAP, as acknowledged by the Centre, was that only a part of the pollutional load could be treated. The problem was addressed marginally and no attention was paid to run-off from agricultural fields which often bring non-biodegradable pesticides to the river. The pollution load from the large urban settlements, outside the purview of Class I cities, and from the rural areas was not considered. Finally one of the most essential objectives of GAP to ensure the environmental flow ~ was not addressed.
In 2009 was announced the Mission Clean Ganga and the Government created the National River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA). It also declared the Ganga as the ‘National River of India’ and the endangered Gangetic dolphin as the ‘national aquatic mammal’ for increasing interest in conservation efforts. Maintenance of the river’s ecological value was given utmost priority. It was regarded as an improvement over GAP as its approach was more holistic, focusing on the entire Ganga basin. The present government also resolved to work for cleaning the Ganga and control pollution and launched the project ‘Namami Ganga’ in July 2014. It announced the preparation of a Ganga rejuvenation plan by seven IITs for eco-restoration of the river.
The Ganga occupies a unique position in the history and civilization of the subcontinent because of its geographical, historical, socio-cultural and economic factors. It has over time lost much of its pristine character as a ‘river which flows’ Ironically enough, the degradation is the result of treating the river as just another resource commodity whose water is wasted as it flows into the sea. An understanding of the gravity of the problems of the river and its impact on the biotic communities is essential to visualize the huge task ahead for ameliorating the condition.
The major threats faced by the river are i) discharge of domestic, industrial and solid wastes; ii) disruption of the river’s connectivity by dams and barrages; and iii) over-exploitation of the biological resources. Domestic and municipal wastes are the primary sources of contamination, which has been estimated at 75 per cent. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has recorded that every day nearly 2,900 million litres of sewage are discharged into the “mainstream of the river” from municipal towns located along its banks. The existing infrastructure has a capacity to treat only 1,000 million litres a day. A huge quantity of untreated sewage is thus drained into the river.
Industrial pollutants constitute around 20 per cent of the total “pollutional load”. However, its contribution to polluting the river is much greater due to the higher concentration of non-biodegradable nature of pollutants. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, there are as many as 478 “grossly polluting units” along the Ganga and its tributaries. Of these, 335 units have ETPs operating satisfactorily and 79 units have been closed down. The problem of “instream pollution” is further aggravated by disposal of solid wastes, religious offerings, corpses and carcasses.
The second major threat to the river is posed by the multipurpose reservoirs and barrages constructed in the river basin over the past 50 years. There are 12 diversion and 10 storage projects on the mainstream of the river and its tributaries. These units generate projects that produce hydroelectricity or are used for irrigation.
The river is gradually shrinking. A study conducted by the National Centre for Atmosphere Research in Colorado, USA, concluded that there has been a significant reduction in the discharge to the ocean. In 2004, the Ganga had 20 per cent less water than it had 56 years earlier. The river water discharge during the lean months at Farrakka has shown a decline of about 10 per cent during 1992-97 in comparison to 1948-88.
There is growing evidence that many of the glaciers that feed the river through the process of melting have retreated very rapidly in recent years due to global warming. Excessive withdrawal of groundwater has also affected the base flow of the river as the groundwater table has fallen considerably. Deforestation in the catchment areas has reduced the forest cover of the Ganga basin from 24 to 14 per cent, resulting in soil erosion in the catchment areas . Studies reveal that the Ganga mobilizes a total of 729 X 106 tons of sediment annually within its river valley. The increase in sediment load has altered the water regime of the biologically sensitive deep pools and lakes of the river which play a vital role in eco-restoration. The wetlands in the river basins store the floodwater and release it during the lean months to maintain water in the main river. But in the last few decades 38 per cent of India’s wetlands have disappeared.
These factors are affecting the “instream aquatic habitat”, the biotic organisms and dependent riparian folk of the river. Most importantly, the river supports a rich diversity of aquatic life, notably fisheries that provide food and livelihood to over 7 million people of the Gangetic plains. A recent study conducted by Central lnland Fisheries Research Institute to assess the diversity of fish and the ecological integrity of the Ganga between 1960 and 2010 indicated a significant decline in fish production and alteration in the composition of fish species in the river. The alteration in the instream flow has also affected people who attach importance to the religious and cultural values of the river. A survey conducted in the mountain stretch of the Bhagirathi by the People’s Science Institute, Dehradun; in 2008 revealed that the river is not satisfying the devotees’ concept of the river.
The government, the scientific community and also the people have been aware of the problems of deteriorating water quality, the asthetic value, the declining fish population, and the growing scarcity of water resources for the past three decades. As early as 1974, the Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act were introduced. It created the Central and State Pollution Control Boards (CPCB &SPCBs ). An irrigation policy was formulated in 1972; it advocated the maximum crop production per unit area of arable land and the highest possible use of river water to bring the maximum possible area of agriculture under a single irrigation scheme. The National Water Policy, 2002, recognised water as part of a larger ecological system. Realizing the importance and scarcity of freshwater, it stressed the need to treat water as an essential environment for sustaining all life forms.
The Ganga Action Plan (GAP I), launched in 1985, envisaged what it called interception and diversion of wastewater and its treatment in sewage treatment plants before discharging into the river or land in 25 class-1 towns in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. To tackle the extent of pollution, GAP II was launched between 1993 and 1996 to cover 59 towns in five states ~ Uttarakhand , UP, Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. Unfortunately, the quality of the Ganga water did not attain the targeted benchmark of “bathing class” (CPCB). The major constraint faced by the GAP, as acknowledged by the Centre, was that only a part of the pollutional load could be treated. The problem was addressed marginally and no attention was paid to run-off from agricultural fields which often bring non-biodegradable pesticides to the river. The pollution load from the large urban settlements, outside the purview of Class I cities, and from the rural areas was not considered. Finally one of the most essential objectives of GAP to ensure the environmental flow ~ was not addressed.
In 2009 was announced the Mission Clean Ganga and the Government created the National River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA). It also declared the Ganga as the ‘National River of India’ and the endangered Gangetic dolphin as the ‘national aquatic mammal’ for increasing interest in conservation efforts. Maintenance of the river’s ecological value was given utmost priority. It was regarded as an improvement over GAP as its approach was more holistic, focusing on the entire Ganga basin. The present government also resolved to work for cleaning the Ganga and control pollution and launched the project ‘Namami Ganga’ in July 2014. It announced the preparation of a Ganga rejuvenation plan by seven IITs for eco-restoration of the river.
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