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A paradise for nature-lovers, Haridwar presents kaleidoscope of Indian culture andcivilization. Haridwar also termed as 'Gateway to Gods'is known as Mayapuri, Kapila,Gangadwar as well. The followers of Lord Shiva(Har) and followers of Lord Vishnu(Hari)pronounce this place Haridwar and Haridwar respectively as told by some. It is also a point

of entry to Dev Bhoomi and Char Dham(Four main centers of pilgrimage inUttarakhand) Viz. Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.Archaeological finding have proved that terracotta culture dating between 1700 B.C. and1200 B.C. existed in this region.Legendary king Bhagirath is said to have brought the river Ganga from heaven to earth inorder to provide salvation to his ancestors. It is also said that Haridwar has been sanctified

by the presence of three Gods; Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Lord Vishnu is said to have hisfoot print on the stone that is set in the upper wall of Har-Ki-Pauri where the Holy Gangatouches it all the times . Devout believers feel that they can go to heaven by getting theirsalvation after a dip in the sacred Ganga at Haridwar.Haridwar is also one of the four places; where Kumbh Mela occurs after rotation of every

twelve Years and Ardh Kumbh after every six years. It is said that drops of Amrit (Elixir)

fell in to the Brahmkund of Har-Ki-Pairi, therefore considered that a dip in the Brahmakundon this particular day which is very auspicious and when Jupiter (Brahaspati) comes to thesign Aquarius (Kumbh) once in every twelve years the Maha Kumbh fair is celebrated at

Haridwar. Kumbh, 1998 was the last Maha Kumbh of this century. Yet beyond the mystic

aura and mythology, Haridwar casts another magic spell on the visitor. Being one of theoldest living cities, Haridwar finds its mention in the ancient Hindu scriptures as it waves

through the life and time stretching from the period of the Buudha to the more recentBritish advent. Haridwar has not only remained the abode of the weary in body, mind andspirit, but also served as centre of attraction for many, for learning the arts science andculture. Haridwar's long standing position as a great source for Ayurvedic medicines and

herbal remedies as well as its unique Gurukul school of traditional education, the scenicbeauty and lush greenery...all give the city unique flavors and charm; a must among thesojourn centers in a discoverer's intinary of Uttarakhand - A destination for all seasons.

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Haridwar is one of the first towns where Ganga emerges from the mountains to

touch the planes. And that's why the water is crystal clear and cool. Lush green

forests and small ponds add to the scenic beauty of this holy land.The RajajiNational Park is just 10 kms from Haridwar. Its an ideal destination for wild life and

adventure lovers. In the evening the ghats look breathtakingly beautiful as thousands ofdiyas (lamps) and marigold flowers float and illuminate the holy waters.Haridwar as today has not only religious importance but it has another temple of modern

civilization i.e. BHEL, a 'Navratna PSU' to its credit. The Roorkee University at Roorkee isone of the oldest and prestigious institute of learning in the fields of science andengineering. Another university of the district i.e. Gurukul having vast campus is givingtraditional educations of its own kind.

Ganga, the most sacred of rivers for Hindus, has become polluted for some years now.

But a recent study by Uttarakhand Environment Conservation and Pollution Control

Board says that the level of pollution in the holy river has reached alarming proportions.

Things have come to such a pass that the Ganga water is atpresent not fit just for drinking and bathing but has become unusable even for

agricultural purposes.

As per the UECPCB study, while the level of coliform present in water should be below

50 for drinking purposes, less than 500 for bathing and below 5000 for agricultural use

the present level of coliform in Ganga at Haridwar has reached 5500.Based on the level of coliform, dissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen, the study put the

water in A, B, C and D categories. While A category is considered fit for drinking, B for bathing,

C for agriculture and D is for excessive pollution level.

Since the Ganga waters at Haridwar have more than 5000 coliform and even the level ofdissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen doesn't conform the prescribed standards, it has

been put in the D category.

According to the study, the main cause of high level of coliform in Ganga is due to disposal

of human faeces, urine and sewage directly into the river from its starting point in

Gaumukh till it reaches Haridwar via Rishikesh.

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Nearly 89 million litres of sewage is daily disposed into Ganga from the 12 municipal

towns that fall along its route till Haridwar. The amount of sewage disposed into the river

increases during the Char Dham Yatra season when nearly 15 lakh pilgrims visit the state

between May and October each year.

According to the Ganga pollution control unit of Uttarakhand Peyjal Nigam, Haridwar aloneaccounts for 37.36 million litres of the sewage that goes directly to the Ganga without getting

treated in any plant.

Apart from sewage disposal of half-burnt human bodies at Haridwar and hazardous

medical waste from the base hospital at Srinagar due to absence of an incinerator are

also adding to pollution levels in the Ganga.

It is worth mentioning that despite spending over Rs 1500 crores by the Ganga Action Plan

since its inception in 1984, the river still remains polluted. The second phase of the project,

which is to get over in 2008 includes setting up of sewer lines in 8 cities in Garhwal that fall on

the route of the river.

According to an estimate, during its 2510 kilometre-long course from Gaumukh till Bay of

Bengal, nearly 1 billion litres of untreated sewage ge

DEHRA DUN: Water quality of the river Ganga in Haridwar is below the standards set

by the Central Pollution Control Board for bathing, a recent study by an NGO says.

Water has been polluted due to continuous discharge of untreated waste

and effluents from various drains directly into the river Ganga, a Dehra

Dun-based NGO People's Science Institute said in its study.

The Ganga at Haridwar, where thousands of devotees take holy dip and collect water,

continues to be polluted with sewage, a scientist has said, suggesting a "parallel canal

strategy" for permanent prevention of pollution.

"The situation is most miserable and despite some waste water trappings through a

piecemeal system of sewers, the town's sewage continues to flow almost all along the

Ganga canal at Haridwar," Prof Devendra S Bhargava, retired professor at IIT Roorkee

and a visiting professor at the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Lucknow, said.

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Ganga is becoming toxic day by day.

by

Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi

Most ancient civilizations grew along the banks of rivers. Even today, millions of people all over the world

live on the banks of rivers and depend on them for their survival.

All of us have seen a river - large or small, either flowing through our town, or somewhere else. Rivers are

nothing more than surface water flowing down from a higher altitude to a lower altitude due to the pull of

gravity. One river might have its source in a glacier, another in a spring or a lake. Rivers carry dissolved

minerals, organic compounds, small grains of sand, gravel, and other material as they flow downstream.

Rivers begin as small streams, which grow wider as smaller streams and rivers join them along their

course across the land. Eventually they flow into seas or oceans. Unfortunately most of the world's major

rivers are heavily polluted.

The pollution of environment is the gift of the industrial revolution. Prior to this the agrarian cultures

created significant environmental deterioration in the form of soil erosion- through deforestation and

overgrazing. The environmental degradation is a by product of modern civilization.

There has been a steady deterioration in the quality of water of Indian rivers over several decades. Indias

fourteen major, 55 minor and several hundred small rivers receive millions of litres of sewage, industrial

and agricultural wastes. Most of these rivers have been rendered to the level of sewage flowing drains.

There are serious water quality problems in the cities, towns and villages using these waters. Water

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borne diseases are rampant, fisheries are on decline, and even cattle are not spared from the onslaught

of pollution.

According to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) five rivers in Asia serving over 870 million people are

among the most threatened in the world, as dams, water extraction and climate change all take their toll.

The Ganges, Indus, Yangtze, Salween-Nu and Mekong-Lancang rivers make up half of the WWFs top

ten most threatened river basins.

India has a large number of rivers that are lifelines for the millions living along their banks. These rivers

can be categorized into four groups:

1.Rivers that flow down from the Himalayas and are supplied by melting snow and glaciers. This is why

these are perennial, that is, they never dry up during the year.

2.The Deccan Plateau rivers, which depend on rainfall for their water.

3.The coastal rivers, especially those on the west coast, which are short and do not retain water

throughout the year.

4.The rivers in the inland drainage basin of west Rajasthan, which depend on the rains. These riversnormally drain towards silt lakes or flow into the sand.

River Ganga (Ganges) of India has been held in high esteem since time immemorial and Hindus from all

over the world cherish the idea of a holy dip in the river under the faith that by doing so they will get rid of

their sins of life. More than 400 million people live along the Ganges River. An estimated 2,000,000

persons ritually bathe daily in the river. Historically also, Ganga is the most important river of the country

and beyond doubt is closely connected with the history of civilization as can be noticed from the location

of the ancient cities of Hardwar, Prayag, Kashi and Patliputra at its bank. To millions of people it is

sustainer of life through multitude of canal system and irrigation of the wasting load. Hundreds of the

villages and even the big cities depend for their drinking water on this river. It is believed, a fact which

has also been observed, that the water of Ganga never decays even for months and years when

water of other rivers and agencies begins to develop bacteria and fungi within a couple of days.

This self purification characteristics of Ganga is the key to the holiness and sanctity of its water.

The combination of bacteriophages and large populations of people bathing in the river have

apparently produced a self-purification effect, in which water-borne bacteria such as dysentery

and cholera are killed off, preventing large-scale epidemics. The river also has an unusual ability

to retain dissolved oxygen.

With growing civilization and population all over how long Ganga will retain its self purification

characteristics only time can judge.

RIVER SOURCES:

The Gangotri Glacier, a vast expanse of ice five miles by fifteen, at the foothills of the Himalayas (14000

ft) in North Uttar Pradesh is the source of Bhagirathi, which joins with Alaknanda (origins nearby) to form

Ganga at the craggy canyon-carved town of Devprayag. Interestingly, the sources of Indus and the

Brahmaputra are also geographically fairly close; the former goes through Himachal Pradesh and fans

out through Punjab and Sind (Pakistan) into the Arabian Sea. The latter courses for most of its

tremendous length under various names through Tibet/China, never far from the Nepal or Indian borders,

and then takes a sharp turn near the northeastern tip of India, gathers momentum through Assam before

joining the major stream of the Ganga near Dacca in Bangladesh to become the mighty Padma, river of

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joy and sorrow for much of Bangladesh. From Devprayag to the Bay of Bengal and the vast Sunderbans

delta, the Ganga flows some 1550 miles, passing (and giving life to) some of the most populous cities of

India, including Kanpur (2 million), Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, and Calcutta (14 million).

The largest tributary to the Ganga is the Ghaghara, which meets it before Patna, in Bihar, bearing much

of the Himalayan glacier melt from Northern Nepal. The Gandak, which comes from near Katmandu, is

another big Himalayan tributary. Other important rivers that merge with the Ganga are the Son, which

originates in the hills of Madhya Pradesh, the Gomti which flows past Lucknow.

Previous Work:

A number of investigations have been carried out on the physiochemical and biological characters of the

Ganga. Lakshminarayana (1965) published a series of papers reporting the results of studies carried out

at Varanasi during the period between March, 1957 and March, 1958. it was observed by him that the

values of the most of the parameters decreased during rainy season while no marked variation was

observed during winters and summers.

In the same year Chakraborty et.al. (1965) from Kanpur reported the water quality of Ganga at J.K.

Rayons water intake point and at Golaghat and Bhairoghat pumping stat ions situated at the upstream ofthe river. It was concluded that the water quality gradually deteriorated as it passes from Bhairoghat

pumping station to the J.K. Rayon water intake point in summers because in this stretch the river received

waste waters from number of sewage drains.

A year later Saxena et.al. (1966) made a systematic survey of the chemical quantity of Ganga at Kanpur.

According to the study, the biological oxygen demand, i.e. B.O.D. varied from 5.3ppm (minimum) in winter

to 16.0ppm (maximum) in summer. The chloride ranged between 9.2 and 12.7 ppm and the river was

found to be alkaline in nature except in rainy season. He concluded that the tanneries significantly

increased the pollution load of river as they discharge huge amounts of effluents containing organic

wastes and heavy metals. It was further reported that forty five tanneries, ten textile mills and several

other industrial units discharged 37.15 million gallon per day of waste water generating BOD load of

approximately 61630 Kg/day.

Subsequently Agarwal et.al.(1976) studied the bacteriological population of the river water and concluded

that addition of untreated waste and sewage was responsible for the presence of pathogenic organisms

posing threat to the residents of the Varanasi city.

Hydrobiological features of the river Ganga was studied by Pahwa and Mehrotra (1966). The authors

studied a stretch of 1090 kms. of river Ganga extending from Kanpur in west to Rajmahal, in Jharkhand

state, in the east. They reported that the turbidity was maximum (1100-2170 ppm) in monsoon and

minimum ( less than100 ppm) during January to June. The pH of the river water ranged between 7.45

(minimum) during June to August and 8.30 (maximum) during January to May. The dissolved oxygen, i.e.

D.O. count ranged from 5.0 to 10.5 ppm with maximum values during January and February. While theminimum values were recorded in monsoon.

Bhargava (1982) in a survey of total length of the river Ganga found that quality index was far above the

prescribed limit at Kanpur. He further found that the Ganga water was having unusually fast regenerating

capacity by bringing down B.O.D. owing to the presence of large amount of well adopted micro-

organisms. According to the research Ganga is rich in polymers excreted by various species of bacteria.

These polymers being excellent coagulants remove turbidity by coagulation, setting the suspended

particles at the sewage discharge point.

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At the 1981 session of Indian Science Congress at Varanasi, scientists expressed concern at the growing

pollution in the river Ganga in presence of the then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi who inaugurated

the session. At her instance, Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, the then member, Planning Commission asked the

Central Board for Preventation and Control of Water Pollution, New Delhi to conduct studies on the state

of the river Ganga. In collaboration with the State Pollution Control Boards of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and

Bengal and the centre for study of Man and Environment Kolkata (Calcutta), studies were conducted on

the Sources of pollution including all human activities, land use pattern and water quality of the river at

selected sites during 1981-82 and report entitled Basin, sub-basin inventory of water pollution in the

Ganga basin part-II was published in 1984. according to this report sewage of 27 class I cities and towns

and effluents from 137 major industries were the main source of pollution of the river. In addition

cremation of dead human bodies and dumping of carcasses aggrevated the pollution of the river.

It was Chandra (1981) who conducted studies on the pollution status of river Ganga at Allahabad, pointed

out that industries manufacturing nitrogenous fertilizers have significant role in polluting the river water.

Study carried out in 1986-87 on physico-chemical properties of river Ganga water at Buxar (Unnao)

clearly revealed that extent of pollution varied in different seasons. Usually all the 23 parameters studied

showed high values in summer and lower during monsoons except turbidity which was high in rainy

season. Values of BOD, COD, DO and H2S were recorded high than the tolerance limits.

Study on water quality of river Ganga at Kalakankar (Pratapgarh in Uttar Pradesh) revealed that even at

such a remote and undisturbed place like Kalakankar the river water was not safe for drinking and

bathing. It was also noted that the river showed an alkaline trend throughout the course of study.

According to the research done by Mehrotra (1990), the various sources responsible for pollution of the

river in Varanasi city are domestic sewage effluents of the industries, burning of dead bodies at the ghats,

use of detergents, insecticides and pesticides used in agriculture. Study revealed the presence of toxic

metals like mercury ( 65 to 520ppb), Lead( less than 10 to 800 ppm), chromium (less than 10 to 200 ppm)

and nickel (less than 10 to 130 ppm) in the sediments of Ganga river at Varanasi city.

Upstream from Varanasi, one of the major pilgrimage sites along the river, the water is comparativelypure, having a low Biochemical oxygen demand and fecal coliform count. Studies conducted in 1983 on

water samples taken from the right bank of the Ganga at Patna confirm that escheria coli (E.Coli.), fecal

streptococci and vibrio cholerae organisms die two to three times faster in the Ganga than in water taken

from the rivers Son and Gandak and from dug wells and tube wells in the same area.

The chemical pollution of the river Ganga in Patna city in Bihar state has been found somewhat alarming

beside the storm drain, especially in the regions like Rajapur, Mandiri and Krishnaghat.

According to the report published in a book by Mr. U.K. Sinha (1986), the concentration of iron is higher in

sediments collected from 10 metres along the bank at Mandiri region. The concentration of all the toxic

metals i.e copper, zinc, nickel and cobalt are higher in all the sediments collected from near the stormdrain and diminishes towards mid-region of the river. The concentration of zinc is highest in the sediments

collected from near the Mandiri storm drain, Antaghat storm drain and Krishnaghat storm drain.

The concentration of copper is highest in the sediments collected from near the Krishnaghat storm drain

suggesting the presence copper due to utensil work being done in Thatheri Bazar and hospital wastes

also, said report.

Present situation:

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For some time now, this romantic view of the Ganges has collided with India's grim realities. During the

past three decades, the country's explosive growth (at nearly 1.2 billion people, India's population is

second only to China's), industrialization and rapid urbanization have put unyielding pressure on the

sacred stream.

Ganga, the most sacred of rivers for Hindus, has become polluted for some years now. But a recent study

by Uttarakhand Environment Conservation and Pollution Control Board says that the level of pollution in

the holy river has reached alarming proportions.

Things have come to such a pass that the Ganga water is at present not fit just for drinking and bathing

but has become unusable even for agricultural purposes.

As per the UECPCB study, while the level of coliform present in water should be below 50 for drinking

purposes, less than 500 for bathing and below 5000 for agricultural use the present level of coliform in

Ganga at Haridwar has reached 5500.

Based on the level of coliform, dissolved oxygen and biochemical oxygen, the study put the water in A, B,

C and D categories. While A category is considered fit for drinking, B for bathing, C for agriculture and Dis for excessive pollution level.

Since the Ganga waters at Haridwar have more than 5000 coliform and even the level of dissolved

oxygen and biochemical oxygen doesn't conform the prescribed standards, it has been put in the D

category.

According to the study, the main cause of high level of coliform in Ganga is due to disposal of human

faeces, urine and sewage directly into the river from its starting point in Gaumukh till it reaches Haridwar

via Rishikesh.

Nearly 89 million litres of sewage is daily disposed into Ganga from the 12 municipal towns that

fall along its route till Haridwar. The amount of sewage disposed into the river increases during

the Char Dham Yatra season when nearly 15 lakh pilgrims visit the state between May and

October each year.

Apart from sewage disposal of half-burnt human bodies at Haridwar and hazardous medical waste from

the base hospital at Srinagar due to absence of an incinerator are also adding to pollution levels in the

Ganga.

The result has been the gradual killing of one of India's most treasured resources. One stretch of the

Yamuna River, the Ganges' main tributary, has been devoid of all aquatic creatures for at least a decade.

In Varanasi, India's most sacred city, the coliform bacterial count is at least 3,000 times higher than thestandard established as safe by the United Nations world Health Organization. Coliform are rod-shaped

bacteria that are normally found in the colons of humans and animals and become a serious contaminant

when found in the food or water supply.

A study by Environmental Biology Laboratory, Department pf Zoology, Patna University, showed the

presence of mercury in the Ganga river in Varanasi city. According to the study, annual mean

concentration of mercury in the river water was 0.00023 ppm. The concentration ranged from NT (not

traceable) to 0.00191 ppm.

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Study done by Indian Toxicological Research Centre (ITRC), Lucknow during 1986-1992 showed

maximum annual concentration of mercury in the Ganga river water at Rishikesh, Allahabad district and

Dakshineswar as 0.081, 0.043 and 0.012 ppb respectively.

Ganga river at Varanasi was found well within the maximum permissible standard of 0.001 ppm

prescribed for drinking water by the World Health Organization.

The mercury studied in the Ganga river could be traced in biotic as well as abiotic components of the river

at the study site. The Hindu devotees take bath in the river where mercury was detected in 28%,

44%,75%, 96%, 42% and 89% of the river water, sediment, benthic fauna, fish, soil and vegetation

samples respectively.

Though mercury contamination of the river water has not reached an alarming extent, its presence in the

river system is worrisome. In the study annual mean concentration of the metal in the sediments was

0.067 ppm. Sediments constitute a major pool of mercury in fresh water.

As Ganga enters the Varanasi city, Hinduisms sacred river contains 60,000 faecal coliform bacteria per

100 millilitres, 120 times more than is considered safe for bathing. Four miles downstream, with inputsfrom 24 gushing sewers and 60,000 pilgrim-bathers, the concentration is 3,000 times over the safety limit.

In places, the Ganges becomes black and septic. Corpses, of semi-cremated adults or enshrouded

babies, drift slowly by.

The tannery industry mushrooming in North India has converted the Ganga River 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. As per an estimate, about 80-90% of the tanneries use chromium as a tanning agent. Of

this, the hides take up only 50-70%, while the rest is discharged as effluent. Pollution becomes acute

when tanneries are concentrated in clusters in small area like Kanpur. Consequently, the Leather-tanning

sector is included in the Red category of industries due to the potential adverse environmental impact

caused by tannery wastes.

Highly polluted sediments are adversely affecting the ecological functioning of rivers due to heavy metal

mobilization from urban areas into biosphere. Distribution of heavy metals in sediments of the river Ganga

and its tributaries have been carried out by several workers. Monitoring of Ganga River from Rishikesh to

Varanasi indicated that Kannauj to Kanpur and Varanasi are the most polluted stretches of the river

Ganga . Analysis of upstream and down stream water and sediment revealed a 10-fold increase in

chromium level.

Revered by hundreds and thousands, the Ganga River is fighting for survival seriously threatened

by alarming rise of various pollutants.

Increasing sewage from the drains, polythene bags and other garbage choke the river.

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The pollution levels have risen largely in Ganga over the past few years inspite of a government

body.

"More and more devotees throng the Ganga, but there are no arrangements for anything.

Though there are provisions for devotees, but the administration and the Ganga Pollution Board

formed during the tenure of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, has been doing nothing to checkthe pollution level in Ganga. We have been living in Haridwar since childhood, but we haven't

seen any initiative to clean Ganga," said Kailash, a resident in Haridwar.

Apart from this, big drains opening into Ganga also add to the pollution levels in the sacred river.

"All through the course of the river, so many drains mix into Ganga water. It is polluting water

badly. The people are losing faith in the administration. The water has become unfit for drinking.

The government should take strict steps to control the pollution level in Ganga," said Dev Dutt,

another resident.

While the rising pollution levels have alarmed the environmentalists, the government body thathas been constituted to check the pollution in Ganga maintains that they are doing their best to

save the river.

"There are 19 big drains in Haridwar, of which 15 have been tapped. Work is being conducted on

other drains as well. We hope to complete the work on them by next Kumbh (an annual fair)"

said RC Gupta, General Manager, Ganga Pollution Board.

According to reports, around 12 billion rupees have gone towards Ganga cleaning project.

The government has set up the National Ganga River basin Authority (NGRBA) to ensure

effective abatement of pollution and conservation of Ganga river.

Despite tall claims and numerous efforts taken by the government, the state of the river remains

the same with no improvement in the pollution levels.

Timely action and stringent steps are the immediate need of hour to save the river from further

damage. By Ashish Goel (ANI)

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Prayer on the bank of Ganga at Haridwar

Hindus have long believed that the water of Ganga has a special purity.Studies conducted in 1983 on water samples taken from the right bank of

the Ganga at Patna confirm that escheria coliform (E.Coli.), fecalstreptococci and vibrio cholerae organisms die two to three times fasterin Ganga than in water taken from the rivers Son and Gandak and from

dug wells and tube wells in the same area. However, despite the natural

resilience of the Ganga, the alarmingly high volume of pollution poses an

ever increasing threat to the health and life of the river.

The principal sources of pollution in the Ganga are domestic and industrial

wastes. Conservative estimates put the effluents flowing into Ganga atapproximately 1.7 billion litres each day out of which 1.4 billion litres isuntreated.

The Ganga basin is home to over 300 million people, out of which 20

million live in densely populated cities directly along it banks. Most of theurban centres lack proper sewage treatment facilities. 88% of the

pollution originates in 27 cities located along the banks. While industrial

pollution accounts for only about a quarter of the whole problem, it is by

no means insignificant since most of it is concentrated in specific areas

and the effluents are more hazardous. The state of Uttar Pradesh aloneis responsible for over 50% of the pollutants entering the river along its

entire journey to the sea.

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Domestic and industrial pollution, combined with deforestation, use of

pesticides and fertilisers and other factors, have rendered the water of

Ganga unfit for drinking or bathing.

Upstream from Varanasi, one of the major pigrimage sites along the river,the water is comparatively pure, having a low Bio-Oxygen Demand (B.O.D.)

and Fecal Coliform Count. However, once the river enters the city theselevels rise alarmingly. Measurements taken at the city's various bathing

ghats during a few years ago show that the average B.O.D of the waterrises by over 1300 percent. The average Fecal Coliform Count at the

ghats is over 6000 times what it is before the river enters the city.

The Ganga Action Plan launched in 1986 by the Government of India hasnot achieved any success despite expenditure of over five billion rupees.

Even though the government claims that the schemes under the GangaAction Plan have been successful, actual measurements and scientific datatell a different story. Thefailure of the GAPis evident but corrective

action is lacking.

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Many Hindus believe life is incomplete without taking a bath in the Ganges at least once in their

lives. Many Hindu families keep a vial of water from the Ganges in their house. This is done

because it is auspicious 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 its water. Many Hindus believe that the water

from the Ganges can cleanse a person's soul of all past sins, and that it can also cure the ill.

Between 1985 and 2000,Rs.1,000crore(Rs. 10 billion, around US$ 226 miilion, or less than 4 cents per

person per year[citation needed]) were spent on theGanga Action Plan,[13]an environmental initiative that was

"the largest single attempt to clean up a polluted river anywhere in the world."[15]The Ganga Action Plan

has been described variously as a "failure,"[98][99][100]

a "major failure,[11]

a "colossal failure,"[12]

and a

"widely recognized failure."[93]

According to one study,[98]

The Ganga Action Plan, which was taken on priority and with much enthusiasm, was delayed for two

years. The expenditure was almost doubled. But the result was not very appreciable. Much expenditure

was done over the political propaganda. The concerning governments and the related agencies were not

very prompt to make it a success. The public of the areas was not taken into consideration. The releasing

of urban and industrial wastes in the river was not controlled fully. The flowing of dirty water through

drains and sewers were not adequately diverted. The continuing customs of burning dead bodies,

throwing carcasses, washing of dirty clothes by washermen, and immersion of idols and cattle wallowing

were not checked. Very little provision of public latrines was made and the open defecation of lakhs of

people continued along the riverside. All these made the Action Plan a failure.

The failure of the Ganga Action Plan, has also been variously attributed to "environmental planning

without proper understanding of the humanenvironment interactions,"[15]Indian "traditions and

beliefs,"[16]"corruption and a lack of technical knowledge"[14]and "lack of support from religious

authorities."[17]

In December 2009 the World Bank agreed to loan India US$ 1 billion over the next five years to help save

the river.[101]According to 2010 Planning Commission estimates, an investment of almost Rs. 7,000 crore

(Rs. 70 billion, approximately US$ 1.5 billion) is needed to clean up the river.[13]

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In November 2008, the Ganges, alone among India's rivers, was declared a "National River", facilitating

the formation of aGanga River Basin Authoritythat would have greater powers to plan, implement and

monitor measures aimed at protecting the river.[102]

The incidence of water-borne andentericdiseasessuch asgastrointestinal

disease,cholera,dysentery,hepatitis Aandtyphoidamong people who use the river's waters for

bathing, washing dishes and brushing teeth is high, at an estimated 66% per year.[92]

Things shouldnt end with the formation of the proposed Ganga River Basin Authority comprising

the chief ministers of basin states and the ministers of water resources, environment and forest

and the urban development. This authority, which is incharge of planning, implementing and

monitoring of various programmes for the Ganga, shall emphasise the need to involve the

communities and the need to reconnect the communities to the river. The success of theprogramme to bring the river back to life will lie in involving communities right from planning to

monitoring. No planning and pollution control will work if key stakeholders - the community and

the people - are excluded.

1. Setting up of an independent and transparent committee to oversee detoxification and cleaning

of the holy river.

2. The committee should consist of members of the NGOs, Government representatives, religious

heads , environmentalists, water treatment experts and local industry representatives. The

committee should be headed by an expert in the field.

3. A complete and extensive survey of the affected area and the basin of the river.

4. The survey should be published for public opinion.

5. Prepare a Clean up and maintance Plan with cost and timelines

6. Committee should be responsible to adhere to the plan and report progress to the head of the

Indian government.

7. Specific suggestions:

a. No sewage to be discharged in the river Ganga

b. River Ganga should not be directly accessible to public. Construct barriers at popular

places.

c.

Special canals for religious bathing and discharge. Can be released in Ganga after

treatment

d. Afforestation on river shore

e. Special holy Kalash for disposal of religious waste.