Pollution of the Ganges
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An estimated 2,000,000 people ritually bathe daily in the river, which is considered holy by the Hindus. In the Hindu religion it is said to flow from the lotus feet of Vishnu (for Vaisnava devotees) or the hair of Shiva (for Saivites). The spiritual and religious significance could be compared to what the Nile river meant to the ancient Egyptians. While the Ganges may be considered holy, there are some problems associated with the ecology. It is filled with chemical wastes, sewage and even the remains of human and animal corpses which carry major health risks by either direct bathing in the dirty water (e.g.: Bilharziasis infection), or by drinking (the Fecal-oral route).
The combination of bacteriophages and large populations of people bathing in the river have apparently produced a self-purification effect, in which water-bourne bacteria such as dysentery and cholera are killed off, preventing large-scale epidemics. The river also has an unusual ability to retain dissolved oxygen.[1]
Upstream from Varanasi, one of the major pilgrimage sites along the river, the water is comparatively pure, 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.[1]
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[edit] Ganga Action Plan
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This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this section if you can. (March 2009) |
Ganga Action Plan or GAP was a program launched by Government of India in April 1985 in order to reduce the pollution load on the river. The program was launched with much fanfare, but it failed to decrease the pollution level in the river, after spending 901.71 crore (approx. 1010) rupees over a period of 15 years.http://www.cag.gov.in/reports/scientific/2000_book2/gangaactionplan.htm][2]
The activities of GAP phase 1 initiated in 1985 were declared closed 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; 2.00 schemes have been completed under this plan. A million liters of sewage is targeted to be intercepted, diverted and treated.(source : CBSE class 9 geography reader, page 23)[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Self-purification effect of bacteriophages, oxygen retention mystery: Mystery Factor Gives Ganges a Clean Reputation by Julian Crandall Hollick. National Public Radio.
- ^ a b "Ganga Action Plan bears no fruit". http://www.hindu.com/2004/08/28/stories/2004082807430400.htm.
[edit] External links
- cleanganga.com - The Campaign for a Clean Ganga
- National River Conservation Directorate
- Eco Friends Ganges conservation
